Just Keep Breathing
by rewob17
Summary: Danny drops Grace off for a birthday party and ends up in a fight for his life. The team must figure out what happened and keep it from happening again. Danny whump.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, and they never will be. Sigh. The story is mine as are the original characters.

Author's note: I use some original characters from a couple of my previous stories - "We've All Had Better Weeks" and "Career Day." It's not necessary to read those first, but it might help. It might also be a shameless plug by this author to get you to read my other stories.

Thanks: HUGE thanks to fifilla for talking me through this story and helping to give me a direction. Without her help this story probably would not ever have seen the light of day. Thank you also to wenwalke for her willingness to read this and catch my many mistakes. Any mistakes that remain are totally mine.

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Danny Williams was enjoying an almost perfect day. He was still in Hawaii and not in New Jersey, but that was becoming less and less of an issue each day that passed. Not that he would admit that to anyone. He had a reputation to uphold after all. He made a mental note to complain about the perfect weather later when he saw his partner. The thought made him smile as the ensuing good natured argument ran through his head.

Danny glanced in his rear view mirror and his smile got even wider. The biggest part of his almost perfect day was sitting in the backseat of his Camaro. "What's the address again, Monkey?"

Grace Williams grinned back at her dad, "Danno, you already asked the address two times!"

"I just want to make sure I get you to the right house," he assured her. "After all, it would be embarrassing to show up for a birthday party at the wrong house."

"It's right up there," Grace pointed. "See. The gate's open. And there are balloons."

"Oh, right," Danny chuckled.

"You're silly today, Danno!" Grace pointed out.

Danny made a face at her in the rear view mirror as he turned right into the driveway of the very fancy house with a very long driveway. The house was huge, more of a mansion than a house really. He shook his head at the opulence, but glad that Grace's friends from school invited her to birthday parties and other events. He hoped the birthday present they had picked out together would be enough for her friend. On a cop's salary he was confident that he couldn't keep up with the other parents, but Grace had put a lot of thought into the present so he was sure it would be fine. Besides, they didn't need to know what the price tag said.

"C'mon, Monkey," Danny climbed out of the car and held his seat up for her to get out. "I'm meeting Uncle Steve down at the beach. I'll come get you when the party is over and then we're going to meet everyone at Uncle Steve's for a cookout. Sound okay to you?"

"Yeah!" Grace nodded enthusiastically. She chatted his ear off as they walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Just as they heard someone approaching to let them in, she exclaimed, "I forgot the present in the car!"

Danny rolled his eyes so his daughter didn't see, "Well, go get it then."

"Be right back!" She bounced away.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?" A man in a formal suit opened the door.

"Hi, yes," Danny looked back over his shoulder for Grace. "My daughter is here for the birthday party. She had to run back to the car for the present. She'll be right back."

"Please come in."

Danny stepped into the entryway and tried not to gape at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The house was ten times fancier than Rachel's, and it made him uncomfortable. He nervously shuffled his feet and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a high-pitched sound from the back of the house.

The doorman turned, startled. He started towards the back of the house where smoke was starting to billow from a doorway, but Danny grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him towards the front door just as Grace burst through. Danny intercepted Grace and turned her around and back through the front door as he pointed at the doorman, "Call 9-1-1 and get the fire department out here."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Grace wondered as she let her father push her outside again.

"It's okay, Monkey," Danny soothed. "I'm going to go make sure everyone is out of the house. There's smoke so I'm going to go check it out. Why don't you go back to the car and call Uncle Steve and tell him I'm going to be a little late." At Grace's nod, he turned back into the house and ran towards the back as three people stumbled out coughing. From their clothing, Danny guessed they were a catering crew readying for the party.

"Is there anyone else in there?" Danny grabbed the nearest person by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"No," the woman coughed and shook her head. "We were the only ones in the kitchen."

"I think the others are down the hall," She pointed to the right of the kitchen.

"Do you know what happened?" Danny asked.

All three shook their heads, but the first woman spoke up again, "There was a high pitched screech and then the kitchen filled with smoke. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. The vents maybe or the stove. There was so much of it so fast. It wasn't us though. We didn't even have the oven on."

Danny nodded, "How many are in the other room, do you know?"

"A handful of kids and the owners of the house, I think."

"Okay, thank you," Danny gently urged them towards the door. "Help's on the way so go on out and make sure everyone is away from the house."

Without a second look, Danny dashed down the hallway towards the room where the caterers said others were waiting. That was quickly confirmed as the power went out with a sizzle and a pop and screams were heard coming from that direction.

Just as Danny reached the door, six kids burst through the doorway with a man and woman behind urging them on. The woman was near hysterics as she came through the doorway. "What's going on? There's smoke everywhere. So much smoke."

"Ma'am," Danny quickly led the small group back down the hallway as the smoke began to billow more and more from the kitchen and drift down the hallway in a thick, black cloud. "Calm down. Help's on the way. Let's get outside and wait for the fire department."

Danny took a deep breath of fresh air as they emerged outside and was grateful to be out of the smoke-filled house. He herded the little group towards the crowd gathered farther down the driveway.

Without warning, the near-hysterical woman, turned and ran towards the house again. Danny caught her just as she reached the front door, smoke already creeping out the top of the doorway. "I have to get in there! Let me go! I have to go back!"

"Ma'am," Danny tried to soothe her and steer her back away from the house at the same time. "Calm down, Ma'am. The fire department is on the way here. You can't go back in. What's the matter?"

"My baby!" she wailed. "My baby is still inside! She's upstairs taking a nap. Please, I have to get her!"

"Ma'am," Danny fought to keep the woman under control. "Where upstairs is she? I'll go get her, just tell me where she is."

The woman tried to control her hiccupping sobs as she pointed towards the upper corner of the house, "Up the stairs to the left and all the way down the hall. She's in the last bedroom. Oh, please hurry, please!"

"Ma'am, go wait with the others, when the firefighters get here, let them know what I'm doing." Danny quickly instructed. He glanced one more time at Grace before turning and rushing through the door into the smoke filled house.

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Thanks for reading. Double thanks if you take the time to leave a review. This story is complete so I will be posting regularly.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, faves and follows! You guys are awesome. Just for that, I bring you chapter two - the whumping shall now commence.

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Grace watched as her dad rushed back into the burning house. She was very worried, but she had heard the woman's screams about her baby so she was more proud than worried. She could hear sirens getting closer and then realized that a familiar blue truck had just pulled up, and an equally as familiar figure was getting out, "Uncle Steve!"

Steve's head turned and he quickly ran towards Grace, "Gracie! Are you okay? Where's Danno?"

"He just went back inside," Grace explained.

"What?!"

"There's a baby inside."

Steve nodded; his partner could do nothing less. Steve scanned the house and saw billows of thick, black smoke flowing out the open front door and flames starting to lick the curtains and dance across the windows. He was torn between rushing in to help his partner and taking care of his partner's daughter. He knew what Danny would prefer, but as HPD cruisers and fire trucks pulled in, he knew that he could do both.

Grace gripped Steve's hand tightly as they watched the fire engines pull up to the house and firefighters burst forth and quickly had hoses primed and ready to go. Great jets of water were directed at the house within a minute of their arrival.

Steve quickly led Grace over to one of the HPD officers and waved at Duke who was just getting out of his car, "Duke, I need one of your guys here." Steve pointed at an officer.

Duke nodded, "Whatever you need, Commander. Why is Five-0 here anyway?"

Steve nodded at Grace, "Danny was dropping Grace off for a birthday party."

Duke looked around, an empty feeling growing in his stomach, "Where is Detective Williams?"

"He went back inside for a child asleep upstairs."

Duke nodded and glanced at the house. Flames could now be seen in the upper story as well.

"I'm going to take Officer Robertson here," Steve grabbed said officer by the arm. "And he's going to watch Grace while I go help Danny. Grace, you remember Officer Robertson, don't you?"

Grace nodded and gave Robertson a small smile. "Uh-huh."

"Good," Steve knelt down next to the girl, forcing himself to take a moment when all he wanted to do was rush after his partner. "I'm going to go make sure Danno is alright, okay?"

Grace nodded, biting her lip.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," He glanced at Robertson as he stood. "And Robertson here will take good care of you until Danno and I come out."

"Yes, sir," Robertson nodded. "She will stay with me until either you or Detective Williams tells me otherwise."

"See, Grace, you'll be fine." Steve knelt and gave her a quick hug before standing, nodding at Robertson and rushing towards the burning house.

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As Steve rushed to the house, Danny was making his way down a long hallway towards where the child's mother had told him she would be. The smoke had thickened considerably and halfway up the stairs he had been forced to his knees in order to see under the smoke. He crawled down the hallway, left hand gliding along the wall as he went so he didn't lose his way. He pulled his tee shirt up over his mouth and nose but could still feel the hot, smoky air as he breathed.

Time blurred in the inky darkness as Danny crawled through the endless hallway. His mind was starting to wander when he suddenly bumped his head on something solid in front of him. He automatically rubbed the top of his head and shook it a little to clear the cobwebs. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that oxygen deprivation was starting to get to him. He squinted at the object in front of him which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a door. He slid his hands up the door, searching for the doorknob. It turned easily in his hand when he found it.

Danny stumbled into the room and hastily closed the door behind him to keep as much fresh air in the room as possible. The air here was much clearer than what he had come from, the smoke mainly taking up the top several inches by the ceiling. Light from the window let him take in the decor which told him he was in the right place. He quickly spied the crib in the corner and dashed over to peer inside. He exhaled at the sight of a peacefully sleeping child about ten months of age. If the name stenciled over the crib was any indication, the child's name was Ashley.

"Hey, Ashley," Danny reached in to pick her up. "Let's get you out of here." Danny coughed as the words rasped out.

Danny looked at the door and was dismayed to see more smoke billowing in under the door and through the keyhole, and a quick glance around the room confirmed his suspicions that the room was now filling up with smoke. He quickly grabbed a light blanket from the crib and gently covered Ashley as he made his way to the window.

By the time Danny could get the window open, he was coughing more frequently and tears were running out of his reddened eyes. Ashley started to squirm and cry as well.

Outside, Steve had quickly been turned away from running into the house through the front door. A fireman directing a jet of water at the door pointed out that the flames surrounding the door would prevent anyone from entering especially if that someone didn't have any protective gear on, and Steve's board shorts and tee shirt definitely did not fit the bill.

"Excuse me," Steve approached a man who had a woman huddled against him who was crying uncontrollably. "Is it your baby in the house?"

The man nodded, "Yes, our daughter, Ashley, was taking a nap in the room. Oh, God, we didn't even think about her when we ran out. My wife realized it when we got outside."

"My partner's working on that," Steve assured them. "Where is her room? Can you point out her window?"

The man pointed to the far corner of the house, "Last window on this side."

"Thank you," Steve dashed over to the fire chief. "Chief, I have a man inside trying to save a baby. The parents say that's the window over there. Can you get a ladder up there? I don't think he's going to be able to get out any other way."

The chief nodded and quickly ordered his ladder truck put into position. Steve watched, trying not to fret as the truck slowly maneuvered closer. He flinched and glanced back at the house as what sounded like small explosions started to rock the house.

As the ladder truck was set in position and secured, Steve jumped onto the truck and without hesitation informed the fireman, "I'm coming with you. That's my partner up there, and he needs help. He'll be bringing a child out so you get the kid, and I'll take care of my partner."

The chief quietly nodded at the fireman's look and silent question. "He'd better hurry sounds like the house is starting to collapse. I can't risk sending anyone in right now."

Steve nodded and carefully followed the fireman up the ladder, keeping his eyes on the window to the child's bedroom.

Fireman Douglas was halfway up the ladder stretched out towards the room when the window opened and a slightly disheveled blond head suddenly appeared. The man was sucking in great gulps of the fresh air and tenderly cradling a blanket covered form.

"Danny!" Steve yelled when he saw his partner.

It took Steve yelling his name one more time for Danny to look up and find the source of it. He weakly waved a hand before gently placing it back on his precious bundle.

As Fireman Douglas reached the top of ladder, a mere foot from the window, he could see flames dancing behind the blond man. He reached out to take the baby from the man. As he settled the crying child in one arm, he reached out with his other hand, "C'mon!"

Danny shook his head, "You go. Get her down! I can get out on my own."

Fireman Douglas started to protest but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He had almost forgotten about the Five-0 task force leader behind him. "I got him. Get the baby down."

Before the man had a chance to respond, Steve had squeezed past him to take over the top spot on the ladder and Fireman Douglas began to descend with the child.

Danny watched as Steve changed places with the fireman. Danny could see Steve's lips moving and knew he was talking to him, but the noise was so loud that Danny couldn't hear him and he was much too tired to make the effort to read his lips. He felt like he was in a fog and couldn't focus. That little voice in the back of his head was now screaming at him, but he couldn't get his body to cooperate. He thought maybe he should get on the windowsill so he could get to the ladder, but his limbs felt like they weighed a ton.

Steve was yelling at Danny to get out but could tell his partner wasn't hearing him. Once Danny handed off the child, it was as if he had achieved his purpose and was unsure what to do next. Steve noticed the dazed expression on his friend's face and the too-slow way he was moving. Next thing he knew, Danny was sinking out of sight into the flaming room.

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I know, I know, I am a mean person for leaving you hanging... I'll update soon so as not to leave you in suspense for too long.


	3. Chapter 3

The fire chief watched his man descend with the child as the paramedics waited nearby. He glanced back to the top of the ladder in time to see the man in the house disappear inside and Commander McGarrett launch himself from the ladder into the house. The chief cursed and quickly motioned another of his men up the ladder to help the Five-0 leaders.

As soon as Steve was in the room, he crouched down to find his partner. The sunshine from outside combined with the flames in the room had a strobe light effect in the smoky darkness. He tried not to breathe in the deadly smoke which was impossible as the room was filled with it. It took him a moment to find Danny as a piece of the ceiling was all but covering the man. It was a large chunk that had settled on Danny's left side, covering his leg and extending up to the middle of his back. Steve winced at the flames dancing on the piece and licking at Danny's shirt. Steve quickly threw it off him and patted Danny's smoldering clothes to put the fire out. He then picked up his limp partner, dragging him the short distance to the window. As quickly as he could, he leaned out the window for a quick breath of fresh air before ducking back into the room to get Danny secured. He grabbed his partner's left arm and slung it over his shoulder so he could support him. He situated himself on the windowsill and shifted Danny so he had the man on his back, holding his hands around his neck. He saw a firefighter climbing towards them but couldn't wait. He could feel the heat bearing down on them and the sound of the ceiling falling down around them. He braced himself, tightened his grip on his partner and launched himself towards the ladder.

Just as Steve launched himself through the window, a massive blast of fire and heat surged out the window, helping to propel them to the ladder where he was quickly steadied by the fireman who had just reached the top. Steve waved off the man's offer to take Danny from him and began the descent down the ladder with the fireman helping to steady him.

Officer Robertson had tried to keep Grace from watching the burning house. He had implored her to sit in the cab of Steve's truck, but the best he could get her to do was to stand in the bed of the truck which offered her a relatively unobstructed view of the activity going on around them. She had intently watched Steve climb the long ladder towards her dad and was thrilled when her Danno poked his head out the window only to be disappointed when he was out of sight once again. Now, as Steve jumped out the window with Danno draped across his back, she started to jump out of the truck only to be stopped by Officer Robertson.

"I have to go!" Grace begged. "I want my Danno!"

Robertson held her in place as she got out of the back of the truck and struggled to approach as Danny was gently laid on the ground and the paramedics began to check him out.

"Please," Grace begged. "I want my Danno! Uncle Steve!"

Somehow over the noise, Steve heard Grace's frantic shout. He looked up to see her struggling with Robertson and gave the officer a brief nod to bring the girl over. She was already here so denying her was pointless and would just cause her more distress.

Steve knelt by Danny's head as paramedics began to assess his condition and as Grace ran over, held out his arm to encompass the little girl and keep her close. Officer Robertson hovered nearby in case his services were needed again.

"Is he going to be alright, Uncle Steve?" Grace couldn't take her eyes off her dad.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Gracie." Steve assured the girl while hoping he wasn't going to be made a liar. He didn't like his too-still partner though just as he thought that, his partner's eyes started to flutter. "Danny? Danny, can you hear me?"

Danny's eyes fluttered some more before, with an extreme amount of effort, he was able to open them. His hand automatically came up to pull off the oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, but a hand stopped him. "I wouldn't do that."

"Listen to the paramedic, Danny," Steve soothed him. "We're right here."

Danny's eyes fluttered some more, but he managed to look at his partner and then at his daughter. A smile ghosted around his lips and, ignoring the paramedic and his partner's annoyed look, he pulled off the oxygen mask to speak to Grace. His voice was barely a whisper as he rasped out, "Love you... Monkey."

The small effort of speaking caused him to start coughing and he rolled into a fetal position, holding his chest, as he coughed and the paramedics tried to readjust the oxygen mask. Steve leaned over his writhing partner and tried to calm him down, "Easy, Danny. Take it easy. Small, shallow breaths... That's it. Take it easy."

Grace had jumped to her feet as her dad started coughing uncontrollably. She kept a hand on Uncle Steve's shoulder as he soothed her dad. As soon as Steve sat up straighter and the paramedics once again had the oxygen mask on Danny, Robertson stepped forward, "Grace, why don't you come with me, and give the paramedics room to work?"

This time, Grace allowed herself to be led several feet away to watch as Steve continued to talk to Danny and the paramedics did various things to her Danno, "Officer Robertson?"

"Yes, Grace?" Robertson didn't take his comforting hand from her shoulder as he looked down at her.

"What are they doing?" she tried not to sniffle.

"They're trying to help your dad," Robertson explained, and knowing that Grace wouldn't be satisfied with that short answer, he continued. "The oxygen is to help him breathe since he breathed in a lot of bad stuff in the house. The IV that they are putting in his arm is to give him medicine that will also help him feel better."

The paramedics established the IV and took Danny's vitals again, "O2 is dropping even with the mask on."

The other paramedic looked alarmed and glanced at Steve, "That's not good. We're going to have to intubate."

Steve nodded, not surprised. He glanced over at Robertson and Grace and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "You do that while I go talk to his daughter. I'll be right back. I'll be riding in with you."

The paramedics nodded as they readied their instruments.

"Hey, Gracie," Steve knelt in front of the little girl, effectively blocking her site of the paramedics putting a tube down her dad's throat. "They're getting ready to take Danno to the hospital. I'm going to ride with him so he's not alone okay?"

"Can I come, too?"

Steve shook his head, expecting the question. "Sorry, sweetie. They won't let you ride along, but how about if Officer Robertson brings you in my truck?" He tossed the keys to the young officer. "I'll meet you there."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Steve," she hugged him. "Thanks for getting my dad out of the house."

Steve had to struggle to speak around the lump in his throat, "You're welcome, Grace. I'll see you at the hospital soon, okay?"

Grace nodded and followed Robertson to Steve's truck. She cast one more glance back at her dad, but the paramedics blocked her view.

"How's he doing?" Steve asked as he returned to Danny's side.

One of the paramedics shook his head, "Not good. We can't get the airway in."

Even through the oxygen mask, Steve could see a blue tint to Danny's lips. He could see his partner's chest rise and fall as he tried to take in enough air and couldn't; the wheezing as he tried to breathe was alarmingly loud. "Now what?"

"We're going to keep trying, and maybe the hospital can get an airway established easier, but if they can't, they may have to do a tracheotomy, or he'll suffocate. We need to move now."

Steve climbed on the ambulance with his partner, and tried not to worry as the ambulance sped away from the house. He didn't notice its collapse as they turned out of the driveway.

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Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. You guys are great!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I wasn't going to post until tomorrow, but I must feel generous today. You get another chapter, and it's a longer one! See, I'm not always mean... Happy Monday!

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Steve sat in the hospital waiting room trying not to pace. He tried to maintain a calm exterior for Grace's sake. After three hours, that was getting harder and harder. If Danny were there, he would have told Steve that he had his "let's blow something up" face. Steve sighed. Danny wasn't here.

"What's wrong, Uncle Steve?" Grace touched his arm and looked up into his face. "Are you worried about Danno?"

Steve forgot how perceptive she was at times. He looked down at her and smiled, "Yes, sweetie, I am."

"It's okay, Uncle Steve, Danno will be okay. He's Superman, and he saved that baby."

"He did save that baby," Steve agreed. When Chin and Kono had arrived a couple of hours ago, they had brought word that doctors thought baby Ashley would be okay. She would be kept overnight for observation just in case, but napping in her room with the door closed and then Danny throwing the blanket over her seemed to have kept her from inhaling much of the deadly smoke.

"Hey, Grace," Kono rose from her seat a few chairs over. "Why don't we take a walk? We can stop at the cafeteria and get something to eat for everyone, sound good?"

Grace reluctantly nodded, "I guess so..."

"Don't worry, Gracie," Steve assured her. "If the doctor comes, we'll let Kono know so you can get back here and we can tell you what he said, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed and followed Kono out the door and down the hall.

Steve immediately jumped out of his seat and began pacing the small room.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Brah," Chin tried to assure him. Chin's voice betrayed his worry if someone knew him enough to hear it.

Steve did know him well enough to know that Chin was worried despite trying to be the calming influence for everyone else. It had only been a few months since Malia passed away and Chin was still struggling with the death of his beloved wife. If he lost a close friend this soon, the blow would be devastating. Steve tried to smile at the man, "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Chin sat tensely in the chair while Steve continued to pace the small area. Fifteen minutes later, Chin got up to go pace in the hall so the two men weren't in each other's way but turned around when a doctor came through the door. "Family of Detective Williams?"

"Yes!" both men nearly pounced on the man.

"Please, have a seat."

Steve and Chin perched on chairs and anxiously waited for the doctor to pull one over so he could face them. Steve barely let the man settle before asking what they both were thinking, "Well? How is he?"

"He has a very serious case of smoke inhalation and is in critical condition," the doctor told them matter-of-factly. "He has some second degree burns on his upper left leg and lower back. And apparently he also suffered some trauma to his back as there is extensive bruising and swelling."

"When you say 'back' do you mean his spine?" Chin asked, wanting clarification.

The doctor shrugged, "We're not sure. The x-rays were inconclusive and until he regains consciousness we won't be able to assess his condition any further. Any idea how that trauma may have occurred? It might help us to know what caused it."

Steve looked up from where his head had dropped into his hands. His voice was almost a whisper, "Part of the ceiling collapsed on him. I'd forgotten... when I found him, I had to throw off a chunk of ceiling that was on his back. He had a back injury and I moved him."

Chin put a hand on Steve's shoulder, "You had no choice, Steve. He was in a burning building. You had to get him out."

"Your friend is right." The doctor agreed. "This is one of the most severe cases of smoke inhalation I have seen in a long time. If your friend had been in that building much longer, I don't think he would have survived."

"No sense borrowing trouble," Chin continued to reassure. "His back could just be bruised with no injury to the spine. Right, Doctor?"

"Right."

Steve nodded. "You said this was a severe case of smoke inhalation. So what's the damage?"

"We had to intubate immediately. I understand the paramedics tried with no success due to his airway being swollen, but we were able to intubate as soon as he got here. He's on oxygen, of course, and fluids. With the tube in, we're able to suction some of the fluid and debris from his airway as needed. We've taken chest x-rays which show his lungs are seriously compromised at this point. We will continue to take x-rays to measure his improvement. We're waiting on blood tests to measure toxic levels in his blood. There's no telling what was in that smoke he was breathing. That's what we can do at this point. We're keeping him slightly sedated right now so he doesn't fight the tube down his throat. As he recovers we will slowly bring him around and eventually allow him to breathe on his own. For right now, however, it's best if we let his body rest and begin healing on its own."

Steve and Chin nodded somberly, taking it all in. After a moment, Steve rubbed a hand across his face as he gathered his thoughts. "When can we see him?"

"He's going to be in ICU for now so I can allow one or two at a time to go see him for a short time."

"What about his daughter?" Chin wondered. "She'll want to see him."

The doctor frowned, "I'm afraid children are not allowed in the ICU, and it might not be such a good idea at the moment anyway with the tube down his throat. Most children don't react well to that."

Steve nodded and glanced at Chin, "I'll explain it to her."

"If all goes well and he shows improvement, he can be moved out of ICU as his condition improves and stabilizes. 24 to 48 hours would be my guess."

Steve and Chin sighed. It sounded like an eternity though it was also nice to hear the doctor be positive and say "when" rather than "if."

"I know it sounds bad," the doctor admitted. "But Detective Williams is in good shape and, presumably, a fighter, which will serve him well in his recovery. A nurse will be in to take you to him soon, but I would advise staying for only a few minutes. He'll be in good hands, and you can return in the morning. I'll be happy to meet with you at any time if you have questions about his recovery. I'll be keeping a close eye on him."

"Thank you, Doctor," Chin shook his hand.

"Yeah, thanks, Doc," Steve also shook his hand. "You're right about him being a fighter, and there's no one stronger than Danny."

As the doctor stepped back into the hall, Steve took a deep, shuddering breath and spoke softly, "No one stronger."

"He'll be okay, Brah." Chin reassured him again. "You know a little smoke can't keep Danny down."

"Yeah, I know. But what if he does have a back injury?"

"Hey," Chin squeezed his shoulder. "Remember? No borrowing trouble. We'll deal with what comes and so will Danny. Let's just get through this one thing at a time."

"Yeah," Steve took a deep breath again and sighed as he spotted Kono and Grace coming back down the hall. "Like telling Grace."

Kono knew as soon as she reentered the room that the doctor had spoken with her teammates. She could also tell that it may not be all good as she looked at Steve's face even as he smiled at Grace. She joined Chin on the far side of the room as Steve led Grace to a chair to explain what the doctor had said.

"The doctor came in, didn't he? What did he say?" Kono asked her cousin.

Chin filled her in quietly and when he got to the part about the back injury, made sure he was extra quiet so Grace couldn't overhear. "He'll be okay, Cuz. Like I told Steve, there's no sense borrowing trouble. The doctor sounds very optimistic about his recovery."

"Yeah," Kono nodded. "Danny's strong. He can do this."

"You okay sitting with Grace a few minutes while Steve and I go see Danny? I'll come switch with you soon so you get a chance to see him before we go. Doc said we could only have a few minutes and Grace isn't allowed in ICU."

"Yeah, sure," Kono agreed. "Looks like it's time now." She nodded at the nurse entering the room.

"I can take two people back to see Detective Williams now."

Grace grabbed Steve's arm as he started to stand up. "Uncle Steve, will you give something to Danno for me?"

"If they let me," Steve agreed, puzzled at what she could have for him.

Grace crooked her finger at him so he'd lean down and then kissed him on the cheek. "Tell him that I love him, too."

Steve smiled, "Of course, sweetie. I can do that."

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Chin and Steve stood on either side of Danny's hospital bed and looked at the unconscious man. He was far too still and quiet for their liking. The rhythmic whoosh of the ventilator sounded harsh to Steve's ears and though he knew it was best for his partner right now, he hated that it was necessary.

Chin studied the monitor over Danny's head and noted the vitals were a little low. He reached down to squeeze Danny's shoulder, "Hang in there, Brah. You can fight this."

Steve gripped the rail on the side of Danny's bed with one hand while placing his other on the top of his partner's head and then leaned down to place a kiss on Danny's forehead, "Don't get any ideas, Buddy. Grace wanted me to give you that. She said to tell you that she loves you. She can't come see you, but she's waiting for you. Don't worry about her, okay? I'll watch her until Rachel gets back. You just get better."

The two stood there for another couple of minutes before Chin broke the silence, "I'll go get Kono so she has a few minutes before they kick us out."

"Thanks, Chin," Steve acknowledged.

Chin leaned down to Danny again and squeezed his shoulder, "Just rest, Brah. We've got your back. We'll all make sure Grace is okay until you're better."

After Chin left, Steve continued to stand by his partner, "I told the doctor that there's nobody stronger than you, Danno. And I meant it. You've given us all quite a scare, but we'll manage so long as you fight this and pull through. I need you here, buddy. You've taught me a lot in the last few years. A lot about police work, and a lot about friendship. I don't think I can do this the same without you. We all need you, Danno, so get better soon."

Kono quietly entered Danny's ICU cubicle and immediately went to his side and kissed his forehead. She wrinkled her nose, "Your hair smells like smoke. As soon as I can, I'll wash that for you." She whispered.

"How's Grace doing?" Steve wondered.

Kono kept a hand on Danny's arm as she looked over at Steve, "I think she's most upset that she can't come see him, but she's being a trooper. Every time I look worried she tells me that he'll be okay."

Steve nodded, but before he could respond a nurse came in, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave for now. I need to take care of a few things. The doctor says you can come back in the morning. He'll be here at 9:00 to do a thorough exam and can give you results."

Kono leaned down to place one more kiss on Danny's forehead, "Don't give the nurses a hard time, Brah. We'll see you in the morning."

"Don't worry about a thing, Danno," Steve patted his shoulder. "We'll watch Grace, and we'll be back in the morning."

Steve cast one more look back at his partner as he and Kono left the room. He threw an arm around Kono's shoulders as he noticed she looked like she might cry. "Why don't you come over to the house? We can still do the cookout like we were planning. It might help Grace to have more people around."

"Yeah, sure," Kono nodded. "It might help all of us."

"That it will," Steve agreed as they arrived back at the waiting area to collect Chin and Grace.

Grace jumped out of her chair as Steve and Kono came back in, "Uncle Steve, can we still have the cookout at your house tonight? Uncle Chin says Danno wouldn't mind if we do."

Steve smiled, "As a matter of fact, Kono and I were just saying that we should still do that. The doctor will call me if he needs to, and I'll call before you go to bed to check on Danno, okay?"

Grace nodded and then, taking Steve's hand, led them all out of the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Many thanks for all the kind reviews. I am trying to respond to each one, but I have had some computer problems at home and I haven't been notified of every review so if I've missed you, I apologize, but know that every review makes my day.

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Later that evening, the McGarrett house was quiet but far from empty. Steve and Chin were camped out on the living room couch with feet up on the coffee table while Kono was upstairs with Grace. Grace had been uncharacteristically clingy with all of them throughout the course of the evening, and it had been Kono who suggested the two of them hold a sleepover upstairs. Steve had readily offered them the use of his bed while he and Chin remained downstairs as if on guard. The only things which required guarding at this point though were their thoughts.

Steve thought over his conversation with the night nurse in the ICU when he'd called for an update. She had been pleasant but reserved in her judgment of Danny's condition. Not being a doctor, she did not want to give false hope but assured him that Danny was still holding his own. She confirmed that she had his cell phone number and would call if there were any changes. Steve, in turn, had reassured Grace that her Danno was doing okay. He had also called Rachel to let her know what was going on and that Grace was staying with him. Her flight back from Las Vegas was due at 2:00 p.m. the next day, and she'd pick up Grace as soon as she got back. He was debating at what point he needed to call Danny's parents. He finally settled on calling them the next day after talking to the doctor. If asked, he would say that it was too late in New Jersey to call now, but deep down he knew he just wasn't ready for that call yet.

Chin sat on the end of the couch, feet propped on the coffee table and head leaned back against the couch. He stared at a spot on the ceiling while thinking about the last few years. He had been outraged when he'd heard through the grapevine that his former training officer, John McGarrett, had a Haole fresh from the mainland assigned to his homicide. That had been before he met the Jersey detective. Once he started working with Danny he'd discovered that, though unschooled in the ways of the islands, he was a passionate detective who would work each and every case as if it were the most important case in the world. It hadn't taken Chin long to admire Danny's skills at police work and his downright stubbornness for what he believed was right. Meka's case was a shining example of that. Chin recalled their conversation in the bar after Danny had stormed out of HQ and the many times since that night that the two had proved that they'd had each others' backs. He thought of Danny's stalwart presence after Malia's death. It had been Danny most of all who had comforted him and made sure he was available if Chin needed him. Danny was that way with all of them. If they lost the man, the team would survive but without their very soul. He knew Steve in particular would fly into situations with even more reckless abandon than usual which very well could result in his demise as well.

"Hey, he'll be okay," Steve interrupted Chin's reverie.

Chin sighed, "Yeah, I know. I just can't stop the 'what-if's' from going through my head."

"Me neither, but aren't you the one a few hours ago telling me not to borrow trouble and take it one thing at a time?" Steve reminded him. He was worried that the usually calm and reserved man wasn't taking this well.

"I'm trying, Brah," Chin closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. "I'm trying."

Steve also closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He felt like he'd been on high alert since getting Grace's phone call earlier today. He glanced at his watch. Correction: yesterday.

Eventually, the team did get some sleep, but it was short, restless and full of dark dreams brought on by their fears and worst imaginings.

H

5

0

Steve and Chin were at the hospital by 8:30 the next morning. The doctor had said he'd be there at 9:00 but they had hoped to get a chance to see Danny first or that the doctor would be early. Kono had offered to stay at Steve's house with Grace to take her surfing since she still wouldn't be allowed in to see her dad. The guys promised to call as soon as they'd talked to the doctor.

When Steve and Chin checked in at the nurse's desk, they had been directed to a small waiting area off to the side. The closer it got to 9:00, the more Steve paced and checked his watch. Chin was trying to keep him from tearing down the hall and searching for the doctor himself. By 9:15 Steve was convinced something was wrong, and Chin wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the SEAL under control.

The doctor finally arrived just as Steve was about to find anyone who would give him some information. He gestured for the two men to take a seat. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had a little trouble with another patient."

"Doctor Lee," Chin nodded at the man as he approached.

"How's Danny?" Steve didn't feel like beating around the bush.

"Detective Williams is still critical, but we're very hopeful. We've identified some of the toxins in his blood that he inhaled in the smoke and have started him on some strong antibiotics to counteract the effects. We are taking blood tests every three hours to test the toxicity in his blood and can adjust medicines as needed. He continues to be ventilated and his O2 levels are improving. We'll take another chest x-ray later this afternoon as well."

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Chin wondered.

"That's difficult to say," the doctor hedged. "The medicines he's on usually make people drowsy and his body is working very hard right now on getting rid of the toxins. It could be later today or maybe tomorrow. It could be any time really."

"I'd like one of us to be with him at all times," Steve locked eyes with the doctor, daring him to say no. "He's going to be worried about Grace when he wakes up, and I think it would be easier if one of us was with him."

Doctor Lee looked at the two anxious men and debated with himself briefly over what to say before finally agreeing. "No more than two people with him at a time. One is better, but you must stay out of our way or I'll have you removed and not even the governor will be able to get you back in here."

Steve and Chin both nodded.

"Okay, I'll take you back there and explain what's going on with the nurses."

A little while later, after the doctor had escorted them to Danny's small ICU cubicle and warned them again about being in the way before he left, Steve took a long look at his partner. Maybe it was because it had been several hours since he'd seen him, but Steve thought he looked worse. The ventilator made a quiet whooshing noise that still sounded unnaturally loud to him.

"Hey, Brah," Chin patted Danny's arm. "We're here. You're doing great. Just keep hanging in there."

Steve ran a hand through his hair trying to gather his thoughts. "I'll, uh, take the first watch with him if you don't mind."

"Figured you would," Chin smiled. "I'll go call Kono, and then I'm going to check in with Duke and see if they know what started that fire yesterday. From what you've said, it sounds pretty suspicious for it to go up so quickly."

"Yeah, why don't you or Kono come relieve me in about three hours? I'll make sure Grace gets to Rachel okay and try to explain what's going on."

Chin nodded and glanced at Danny one more time and patted Steve's shoulder before he left the room, "Hang in there, Brah."

Steve wasn't really sure which one of them Chin was talking to as he pulled the room's one chair closer to Danny's side. Again, he studied his partner and frowned at the sight. It unnerved him to see him so still and he noticed that there were still dirty smudges on his face. He grabbed a paper towel and tried to clean them off without disturbing any of the tubing that seemed to be everywhere. As he leaned down, he noticed that Kono was right and his hair did still smell like smoke. "Don't worry, Danno. I'm sure Kono will take care of that like she said she would. You just rest and get better."

For the next three hours, Steve sat by Danny's side, occasionally talking to him, but for the most part just sitting and making sure he wasn't alone. As he sat he thought about the last three years with his partner and marveled that they'd come so far. Steve wasn't entirely convinced it would work out even as he was recruiting the Jersey detective to the newly formed task force. After 48 hours he knew he'd made a good choice, and he couldn't quite pinpoint after that time just when exactly his new partner had become the best friend he'd ever had. He knew that he couldn't do this job without him and even more than that, knew he wouldn't want to do this job without him.

Three hours later Chin walked in to find Steve sitting in the chair with his head propped on a hand, nodding off. Chin knew better than to startle the SEAL awake so from the foot of the bed, out of Steve's long reach, he quietly called his name. "Steve?"

Steve's eyes flew open and for a moment seemed disoriented, but that passed quickly and he noticed Chin a few feet away and sat up straighter, "Hey, did you find anything out from Duke?"

"He's sending over the Fire Department report, but they are calling it arson right now. It's still too hot to go in and really sift through the debris, but they think they found an ignition source."

Steve nodded, "I was afraid of that. I want in on this. I want to know who wanted to burn down that house, and why they wanted to do it when it was full of kids."

"We're on it. Duke is sending us all the information and offered Robertson if we needed an extra guy."

"Good. Good." Steve stood, stretched out the kinks in his back and checked the time. "How's Grace holding up?"

"She's doing as okay as any of us, I guess," Chin shrugged. "I think she'll be happy to see you, but Kono kept her pretty busy surfing to keep her mind off things."

"Good. I better get going so I have a few minutes before Rachel gets there. I'll be back in a few hours."

Chin settled into the chair, "Take your time. I've got this."

H

5

0

Steve watched as Grace left with Rachel and allowed himself to breathe again. At least that's how it felt. He exhaled loudly and went back into the house where Kono was gathering up her things. "Hey, Kono, thanks for taking care of Grace today."

"No problem, Boss," Kono smiled. "It's always easier to talk to another girl when you're that age, and she did need to talk a little bit."

"Why don't you head over to the hospital and relieve Chin. Have him meet me back at the palace. I want to look over that report from the arson investigator and start figuring out what's going on."

"Sure," Kono readily agreed. "I have to stop for a couple of things, but it won't take long."

"Just have Chin meet me there when he's ready. Then I'll come relieve you and take the overnight with Danny. You two should get some sleep."

"You need to get some rest, too."

Steve shrugged, "I'm used to going prolonged time with little sleep. I'll be fine. Besides, I can sleep in Danny's room in the chair."

"If you say so," Kono grabbed her car keys and headed out. Steve was right behind her after he grabbed a couple things and set the alarm.


	6. Chapter 6

Kono was anxious to get to the hospital and see Danny. She had volunteered to stay with Grace that morning thinking that it would be easier on the little girl since they seemed to have built a rapport in the last several hours, and Kono didn't want to leave her. Besides, she could tell Steve was torn between caring for Grace like he'd promised Danny and actually seeing his partner and talking to the doctor. Steve was quite capable of taking care of Grace, but given his present state of mind, she thought it might not help Grace to have Steve pacing around with aneurism face. She was grateful now to get her turn to sit with their teammate and friend. She hoped the nurses would allow her to do what she had planned.

Chin looked up as Kono quietly entered Danny's ICU cubicle. He had been sitting with his head tilted back against the wall and eyes closed so hadn't seen her approach through the glass walls of the room. "Hey, Cuz, what do you have there?"

Kono set the bag down she'd been carrying. "Just a few things I need for the afternoon. Steve wants you to meet him at HQ and start working the case. Then he'll come back overnight." She looked over at Danny. "How's he doing?"

"The nurses said the doctor would be back this evening for an update, but the nurses seem to think he's doing okay all things considered. But be forewarned, they have to suction out the ventilator tube every now and then so they'll probably kick you out for that. It's not pretty."

Kono frowned, "At least he's not awake for that part."

"Let us know if there's any change," Chin stood and offered her the seat. "We'll try not to be too late."

"No hurry, Cuz," Kono assured him. "Danny and I will be just fine. Go help Steve and make sure he gets something to eat at some point. You know he'll forget that or decide it's not important enough to take time for."

"We'll see you later," Chin turned and patted Danny's arm. "I'll be back later, Brah. Just keep breathing; you're doing great."

Kono watched as Chin left and said something briefly at the nurse's station situated right across from Danny's room before he left and then turned her attention to Danny. "Hey, Brah, Chin's right, you're doing great. It would be good if you'd wake up, but take your time on that if you need to. Just keep breathing and get better. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Kono inched the chair a little closer to the bed and reached a hand out to rest it lightly on Danny's right shoulder. She studied his face and tried to hide a frown. It was hard to see him with the ventilator doing the breathing for him and making it impossible for him to talk. She had always thought Danny was one of the most expressive people she'd ever met from his wildly gesturing hands and the way he had a tendency to move his whole body when he talked to his smile that they didn't see often enough to his eyes which really were the mirror to his soul. She remembered the day Chin introduced her to Steve and Danny on the beach. Danny had shaken her hand and held onto it longer than was necessary while giving her a look that was as close to lascivious as a person could get without her decking them. Danny had always been protective of her. Not quite the way Chin was, but looking out for her as a rookie and wanting to make sure she became a fine police officer. She remembered when he asked for her help in learning to surf. He had been almost shy about asking, obviously embarrassed at needing the help but knowing that he could trust her.

Kono's thoughts were interrupted by a nurse entering the cubicle, and she was surprised to see that she knew her, "Karen?"

"Kono, I wish I could say it was good to see you again, but considering the last time I saw you it was also because Danny was in the hospital, I'm not sure I should."

"I'm glad you're here to help take care of him," Kono smiled. Karen had been briefly assigned to 5-0 to keep an eye on McGarrett after he took a gunshot to the head that grazed him and Danny was kidnapped while he was down. Steve hadn't wanted to stay in the hospital while Danny was missing so the governor had assigned the nurse to go with him and keep an eye on him. She had helped care for Danny after they tracked him down to the middle of the ocean where the kidnapper had taken him. They hadn't been able to airlift him due to weather and had to take him back on a Coast Guard boat and Karen had been there to help make him comfortable and help with some basic medical needs until they could get to shore.

"Doctor Lee called me in specifically to help with a patient. I didn't realize it was Danny until I got here. When I saw the chart I was hoping it was a different Daniel Williams so I had to come in here to check for myself."

"I'm glad you came in," Kono stood, keeping her hand protectively on Danny's shoulder. "His hair still smells like smoke so I was hoping I could wash it. I brought some stuff with me if that's okay. I know he really won't know the difference right now, but I think he'd appreciate it. I really want to do this for him. There's not much else I can do right now and..." She trailed off hoping she didn't come off sounding stupid.

Karen nodded, "I think we can make that work. I'll get the necessary supplies and give you a hand."

"I've already got a few things," Kono pulled out some shampoo from her bag. "But I'll need some towels and a wash basin."

"I'll get those. Be right back."

As Kono gently washed Danny's hair she wondered if the blonde detective would be okay with her doing this. She knew his hair was very important to him and was part of what made him, well, him. She hoped he wouldn't mind this very personal act. She thought it would be better that she did it than someone he didn't know. When she was done she gently ran her hand down his now clean hair, smoothing it into place, and smiled, "That's better brah. Coconut smells so much better than smoke."

"All done?" Karen had been going in and out of the room making sure Kono had what she needed but not wanting to intrude.

"Yes," Kono smiled at the other woman. "Thank you so much. I'm sure he'll feel better when he wakes up if his hair is clean. Sounds kind of silly, I know."

"Actually, it doesn't. Feeling clean and well... normal... helps patients feel better which, in turn, can lead to a faster recovery."

"Danny's very particular about his hair. This would have driven him nuts." Kono fell silent as she regarded her comatose teammate. "He needs to wake up soon. It's kind of freaky to see him so still."

"I don't really know him since the only time I've been around him is when he's injured, but from what you and your team say, he's strong and being in good shape will help him pull through this."

"It's just hard. We expect to be injured on the job... daily, if you listen to what Danny says to Steve," Kono smiled. "But he was just taking his daughter to a birthday party."

"You just never know when something is going to happen. I hear a lot of that around here." Karen agreed. "I'll check in after while, okay? Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks," Kono smiled at her. "I'm glad we have a familiar face taking care of him."

"Happy to help," Karen assured her. "But much more of this, and I'll have to ask to be added to your payroll."

Kono laughed, "It's probably not a bad idea."

Karen left, leaving Kono to study Danny once again. He really did look better with clean hair. Now, if they could just get rid of the ventilator, it would really be a step in the right direction. Kono patted Danny's arm and not for the last time said, "Just keep breathing, Brah. We'll be right here when you're ready."

H

5

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When Chin walked into Five-0 headquarters, Steve was at the smart table going through the initial reports from the arson investigator and HFD. Chin leaned over from the opposite side to try to get a better look at what Steve was studying. "What's that?"

Steve threw it up on the overhead screen so they could both see it better. "Arson Investigator Kippe thinks that is the timing device used to start the fire."

Chin took a step to study it closer, "How do they know it's a timer for that and not just some household timer or something?"

Steve pointed at the image, "I think the inspector's right. I've seen some similar devices used in bombs."

Chin knew that if Danny were here he'd make a comment about where Steve would have seen those which, in turn, would prompt a, "That's classified," from Steve. A small smile tugged at Chin's lips at the thought. Then his thoughts turned to the case once again. "So if it was arson, the question is why? Why that house? Why that time?"

"Let's start digging into the homeowners. Check their insurance and who may have stood to gain from this. It could be someone was the target for this. The fire spread so quickly according to the preliminary reports that the arsonist may have been intending that no one get out."

"Then we need to check everyone - including the kids invited to the party." Chin noted.

"Check the kids' families, the caterers, house cleaners, doorman, driver, and whoever else worked for the family. Any one of them could be the target if that fire was meant to kill someone. And if it was, we're looking at a suspect who doesn't care who gets in the way."

Chin nodded, "What about Danny? Do you think he could have been the target?"

Steve would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind, "Could be, but it seems like an awful lot of work to take him down. There are easier places and ways to take him down if you have a beef with him. I'm leaning towards the homeowners, but we can't overlook anything."

Chin agreed and started digging into the home owners, Jeff and Sheila Burnhart. He started with their financials. Money was the motive for a lot of crimes.

Steve and Chin worked for several hours, barely even taking the time to look up from their work, let alone notice that the sun was setting. They were utterly oblivious to the magnificent sunset that had the tourists busily snapping pictures. Their concentration was broken by Steve's cell phone, "McGarrett... Yeah? Okay, we'll be there shortly."

Out at the smart table, Chin jumped as Steve's phone rang. The sudden noise had startled him out of his concentration. He stood straight and stretched the kinks out of his back caused by hours of leaning over the large computer. He quickly organized a couple more pieces of information and then turned as Steve came in from his office, "What's going on?"

"That was Duke," Steve waved his phone. "He's got another report from HFD on the fire. They've been able to go through some of the rubble and have sent some samples to Charlie in the lab. Sounds like Charlie will have some of the results in the morning, but I want to swing by and get that report from Duke. Then we can head over to the hospital."

"Sure," Chin agreed. "Let me get this all into some semblance of order, and I'll update you on what I've found on the way."

The two men were quickly on their way out the door.

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A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. I am shocked (in a good way, of course) by how many faves and follows this story is getting! I appreciate you all. This weekend will be busy, but I hope to get the next chapter posted some time on Saturday.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I didn't think you'd mind. Happy Easter!

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It was almost two hours before Steve and Chin could make it to the hospital with Steve becoming more and more anxious the longer it took. He had not intended to stay away so long, but once he was involved in investigating the case, he had turned his laser focus on figuring out who was responsible for the fire that injured his partner and so easily could have turned deadly for all in the house.

"You know Kono would have called if there was a change." Chin assured him as Steve almost ran through the hospital hallway towards the elevators.

Steve sighed and let himself take a deep breath, "Yeah, I know."

"Then relax," Chin smiled. "It won't help Danny if you're all tense."

Steve managed to loosen up before they reached Danny's ICU cubicle. They found Kono at the nurse's desk which made Steve tense up again wondering what was wrong. "Kono? Everything okay? What's going on?"

"Hey, guys," Kono smiled and placed a calming hand on Steve's arm as he looked about ready to bust into Danny's room. "He's fine. Doctor Lee is in there checking them out and they were going to clean out the ventilator tube so I just came out to get some coffee. They should be almost done."

"See, he's fine," Chin assured his boss. "Let's fill her in fast on the report from HFD and what we've found."

"Yeah, okay," Steve led them over to a corner out of the nurses' way.

Chin pulled up something on the computer pad and handed it to Kono, "HFD says it's definitely arson. Someone put an explosive device and timer in the electrical system of the heating and cooling units. They've recovered one almost intact. They think one of the timers malfunctioned and probably didn't ignite the way it was intended, but it was enough to set things in motion and there was a high level of accelerant throughout the house that contributed to it burning so quickly."

"You would think a place that fancy would have a sprinkler system." Kono noted.

"They did," Chin explained. "It was disabled. No smoke alarms went off, no warnings and the automated sprinklers didn't kick in."

"Do we have any leads yet?" Kono wondered.

"We're looking into several people." Steve informed her. "We've not cleared the homeowners though so far nothing is jumping out at us. We're still running checks on all of the employees but the doorman and the driver look clean. We're still checking the catering crew and the guests as well."

The mini briefing was cut short as the doctor emerged from Danny's room. He saw the team and headed over while making a note on the chart he carried. "I'm glad you're all here."

"Doc, how's Danny?" Steve kept glancing over at Danny's room, anxious to see his friend.

"All things considered, Detective Williams is doing very well. His blood pressure is a little high though not out of the ordinary for his condition. His blood work keeps improving and his body is steadily removing the toxins from his blood. We're going to keep him on the ventilator for now, but I see no reason it can't be removed in the morning if he keeps improving. The burns on his left leg and lower back have been treated and redressed. They're probably going to hurt quite a bit when he regains consciousness, but so far they are not looking infected and there should be little to no scarring after they heal."

"What about his back?" Steve tried not to hold his breath as he waited for the answer.

"It's still too soon to tell. We'll need him to be fully conscious to determine the extent of the injury though any movement in his lower extremities, conscious or not, would be a good thing. I'll be back in the morning to check on him and barring any complications, expect to be able to downgrade his condition, and if we can take him off the ventilator, we'll move him out of the ICU."

"That's good," Chin practically beamed. "Thanks, Doc."

"Can we go see him now?" Steve wondered.

"Of course," Doctor Lee agreed. "But please, unconscious or not, he still needs a quiet environment so not everyone can stay for long."

"We'll be good," Kono assured him. "Oh, and thanks for getting Nurse Karen to help. She's been great."

"You know Karen?" Doctor Lee asked.

"Yeah," Kono smiled at the surprised look from her two teammates. "We've worked with her before. She's taken care of Danny and Steve for a little while."

"I hope your team doesn't make a habit of hospital stays."

"We try not to," Chin smiled. "Mahalo, Doc."

"You're welcome," he shook their hands. "I'll be back in the morning. Karen will be checking in periodically overnight so she's getting some rest right now. Doctor Severson is on call tonight, but if you need me, Karen has my number."

As the team entered Danny's room, Steve thought Danny looked a little better than before. That cursed ventilator tube was still ever present, but he took comfort in knowing it would probably be gone in the morning.

Half an hour later Steve was alone with Danny. Kono had filled him in on where to find the best coffee and where the nurse's galley was to get snacks. Chin had promised to keep him updated if anything broke with the case. They didn't expect it to just yet but Chin had every intention of continuing to dig into the mountain of information they were collecting on everyone at the house. The team would meet back in Danny's room at 8:00 to see what the doctor had to say, and it went without saying that Steve would let them know if there were any changes in Danny's condition.

Steve spent some more time reviewing the notes that he and Chin had made over the course of the afternoon's investigation as well as rereading the HFD reports. Eventually, he fell asleep in the chair with the computer pad perched precariously on his knee. He didn't even wake up when Karen came in during a middle of the night check and rescued the pad from an imminent fall and placed it off to the side.

He wasn't sure what woke him, but Steve came to with an abrupt jolt. He looked at Danny to find him just as he had been for the last day and a half. Steve groaned when he looked at his watch and realized it was 5:30 a.m. He wasn't sure at what time he'd dozed off, but it was long enough for him to now have a stiff neck and to feel a little muzzy headed. He wanted to keep working on the files and information they'd accumulated, but he thought he better get coffee first. He stood and stretched and patted his friend's arm, "I'll be right back, buddy. I've gotta get some coffee."

Steve's muscles cried out for a long swim or run so before getting his coffee he walked through the hospital corridors for a few minutes. There weren't many people around thanks to the early hour so he was relatively alone as he stretched his legs a little before heading back for a cup of coffee and getting back to work. He raised his cup of coffee in greeting to the nurses at the nurse's station before entering Danny's cubicle and sighing. He set the coffee down by the sink and grabbed the computer pad before sitting in the hard plastic chair again. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed before giving his partner a look and half-smile, "I wish you were awake so I could make you do this report for the governor. He wants an update on your condition as well as the arson investigation. I wish I had something better to tell him."

A slight change in the beeping of Danny's monitors had him going to Danny's side and peering down. He noticed Danny's eyes moving behind his still closed lids and put a hand on Danny's shoulder, "Danny? C'mon, Danny. You can do it. Open your eyes."

Danny heard Steve urging him to open his eyes, and he was certainly trying but it was much harder than it should have been. After another minute or so he also became aware of Steve's hand on his shoulder. He tried harder to open his eyes and after a moment was rewarded with a blurry view of his partner leaning over him. He blinked a couple times to help clear his vision and then could see his partner grinning at him.

Steve watched as Danny finally opened his eyes. He couldn't help but grin, "Hey there, partner."

Danny tried to smile back and say something which is when he realized there was something in his throat. His eyes went wide, and all of a sudden he felt like he was trapped.

Steve noticed the change in Danny's eyes a moment before the heart monitor started to beat faster and faster. "Easy, partner. You've got a tube down your throat to help you breathe. Just take it easy."

"What's going on?" One of the night nurses came in to the room.

"He's awake, and noticed the tube in his throat. Can we get the doctor in here to take it out?"

"I'll go page Doctor Severson. He's still on call."

Steve turned back to Danny, "Take it easy, Danno, the doc's on his way and can take that out. Just relax and don't fight it."

Danny remained focused on Steve's face and the calm words he continued to utter. If he let his eyes wander around the room, the panic would set back in so he'd go right back to looking at Steve. At some point, Steve grabbed his hand and let him squeeze it to ride out the panic.

"You're doing great, Danny. Just take it easy and we'll get it out of there as soon as we can."

Before Steve was even done talking, Doctor Severson strolled into the room with two nurses. "Well, let's see what we have here." Without once glancing at Danny, he looked at the readings on the monitors and shook his head a little. "Blood pressure is higher than the last reading noted in his chart and his oxygen levels still aren't where they should be. Hmm, I don't think we should take him off the ventilator yet."

"Excuse me?" Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing.

Doctor Severson turned and finally noticed Steve. What he didn't notice was the gathering storm in the commander's eyes. "Who are you? You shouldn't be in here. You need to leave. Immediately."

One of the nurses chimed in, "Commander McGarrett is Detective Williams' partner. Doctor Lee gave him permission to stay."

"Well, I did not give any such permission. You need to leave immediately." Doctor Severson turned to the other nurse and gave her instructions on what type and dosage of drug he wanted administered in Danny's IV.

The nurse's eyes went wide as she listened, "Doctor, are you sure you want that?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"That will depress his pulmonary system which is already compromised. It could throw him into cardiac arrest."

The doctor waved his hand dismissively, "He's on a ventilator. It will be fine."

"I thought the ventilator was being removed," Steve pointed out. "I think he'd do better if we just took the tube out."

Danny's monitors continued to beep faster as he tried to follow the conversation and fought against the invasive tube in his throat. He was also starting to notice pain which didn't help him remain calm.

"Hang in there, Danny." Steve broke his gaze away from his partner and straightened to his full height, while retaining his tight grip on Danny's hand, and turned to the doctor. "I want Doctor Lee brought in right now. I don't want you taking care of my partner. We need to remove the ventilator right now. He doesn't like it."

"I am the attending physician here right now so I will take care of this patient, and I will make the decisions as to his care. You have no right to even be here let alone make any decisions regarding his care. And you have no possible way of knowing whether or not he _likes _it but it is currently necessary so it will stay in."

The only thing that kept Steve from jumping over the hospital bed and decking the doctor was Danny's firm grip on his hand. He glanced down at his partner and nodded at him before turning his attention once again to the obnoxious doctor, "First of all, I do have every right to be here as I have been given permission from Doctor Lee, his primary physician, and if you would check his records, you would see that I do have the right to make decisions as I am his next of kin and have the power to make medical decisions if need be. And last of all, you have no idea what he is and isn't able to tell me at this time."

Danny interrupted Steve's tirade with a squeeze of his hand. Steve looked at him and studied his face for a moment. "Really?" Steve shrugged and turned back to the doctor. He glanced at Danny one more time before directing his words to the doctor once again, "For instance, he just called me an animal... a Neanderthal animal, probably, and he thinks you're a jackass."

The nurse at the foot of the bed was the only one to see Danny's brief head nod at Steve's statement. She smiled.

"Steve, what's going on?" Chin and Kono appeared in the doorway and took in the tension in the room.

"Chin, go find Doctor Lee. Kono, find Karen." The two hurried away without question.

"Nurse, do you have medicine for the IV line?" Doctor Severson held out his hand.

The nurse sounded hesitant, "No, Doctor, I don't."

"Why not? I asked you to get that. Did you forget what I wanted?"

"No," The nurse looked at him like he'd grown two heads. "But it wouldn't be good for him in his current condition, and Commander McGarrett didn't want him to have it."

Doctor Severson sighed, "Well, I am the doctor and I think it is what he needs. Commander McGarrett is not in charge here."

"I am in charge of my partner's care, Doctor," Steve glared. "I will not allow him to be given any medicine without first talking with Doctor Lee."

Doctor Severson looked ready to explode. "Fine. Then I am not needed here any more." And with that, the doctor stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Commander," the nurse who had refused to get the medicine apologized. "He's a difficult doctor to deal with, but I've never seen him endanger a patient before or go against the family's wishes."

"Thank you for recognizing that the medicine wouldn't have done Danny any good," Steve sighed and shook his head. He looked down at Danny, "It'll be okay, Danno. Chin's going to get Doctor Lee. He's okay."

Danny tried to stay calm but the ventilator tube was really bothering him now, and the altercation with the annoying doctor hadn't helped. It was an odd feeling to not breathe for himself, and he didn't like it. His chest was hurting more and more as he tried to breathe on his own, and his leg and back felt like they were on fire. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed and tried to keep from tossing his head for fear of shifting the tube in his throat. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on anything but the terrible uncomfortableness of the tube. Moving his body in any way just caused more pain, but he couldn't even groan.

"Hey," Steve leaned down close again and spoke softly, "it's okay, Danny. Hang in there just a little bit longer. Just relax and let it do all the work."

"How's he doing?" Kono came in trailed by Karen.

Steve glanced at the two women, "He woke up a little bit ago, but the vent is really bothering him. He's having a really hard time with it."

"Hey, Brah," Kono leaned around to smile at Danny. "Good to see you awake again."

"Doctor Lee should be here very soon. I had just talked to him shortly before Kono found me." Karen explained as she readied some instruments.

"Hang in there, Danno," Steve was concerned as Danny continued to be agitated. "Just take it easy. I know it's not easy, but for once in your life just be still and let it do the work."

That, at least, got a glare directed at the SEAL. When Danny shifted his focus to Kono, his eyes softened and though his mouth didn't move, she could see the smile in his eyes.

"You're doing great, Danny. Don't worry about a thing; we're all here for you. And Grace is anxious to see you again."

"Well, I see my patient has decided to rejoin us," Doctor Lee smiled down at Danny as he entered the room. "How about we see about getting that thing out of your throat? Does that sound okay?"

Danny was able to nod slightly, and the relief in his eyes was evident to the doctor.

"I need you to step out for a moment," Doctor Lee looked at the team. "This isn't going to be pleasant for him, and we need room to work."

"I'll be right back, Danno, okay?" Steve stopped short as Danny increased his grip on Steve's hand and his eyes pleaded with him. Steve looked at the doctor, "I'd like to stay and help, and I think Danny's okay with that."

Doctor Lee looked at the two men and glanced briefly at Karen who shrugged and smiled. He hadn't been around the task force very long but was starting to figure out their bond just as quickly as Karen had when she first worked with them. "Okay, keep him as calm as possible and make sure he knows what's going on."

Steve nodded and turned his attention back to Danny once again. He shifted slightly to allow the doctor and Karen more room near Danny's head.

Doctor Lee leaned over so he was directly in Danny's line of sight, "We're going to take you off the ventilator now. When I tell you to, I need you to cough as hard as you can. That will help us remove the tube easier. After it's out, we'll get you on oxygen and make sure you are breathing okay. Don't try to talk when it's out, okay? We'll get you some ice chips to help soothe your throat, but talking could irritate your throat more."

"Hear that, Danno," Steve couldn't help but rub it in. "Doc said no talking."

Danny glared at his partner while mentally storing all the thoughts he'd like to tell him at this point in time.

"Okay, gentlemen, here we go. On the count of three, I need you to cough as hard as you are able while we take the tube out."

"Hear that, Danny?" Steve grinned and his eyes twinkled at the thought of another time the two of them counted to three together. "On the count of three."

"One... two... three," Doctor Lee and Karen deftly removed the ventilator tube as Danny coughed as instructed.

Danny gripped Steve's hand tightly and mustered the best cough he could to expel the horrid, intruding device. He continued to cough after the tube was removed and was starting to panic as it felt like he couldn't stop and couldn't catch his breath. He clutched at his chest with his free hand and squeezed his eyes closed, feeling hot tears leaking out to run down his face.

"It's okay, Danny," Karen's gentle voice helped quell Danny's rising panic as she slipped an oxygen mask in place. "Just try to take normal breaths and stay calm. The coughing will stop soon. I have some ice chips here when you're ready, and that will help as well."

Danny concentrated on taking normal breaths as instructed. His throat felt as if he'd swallowed a dozen razor blades each time he coughed and his chest hurt more than he ever thought possible. Suddenly, he realized that his coughing wasn't just due to the irritated throat, and he could feel stuff in his throat. He tried to roll onto his side which brought a whole new wave of pain, not only for his chest but his back and leg. Before he could wonder why that was, he was on his side, being supported by Steve and Doctor Lee while Karen held a medical waste bin at the side of the bed.

"You're doing great, Danny," Karen told him while removing the oxygen mask.

"You're coughing up some of that junk in your lungs," Doctor Lee explained. "I know it hurts, but it really is a good thing. The more you can get out, the better off you'll be."

After another minute and coughing up two more disgusting globs to spit into the waste bin, Danny was finally able to catch his breath and enjoyed the soothing oxygen from the mask which he hadn't even noticed Karen had slipped back over his mouth and nose. He rolled back onto his back and tried to get comfortable and couldn't help the wince of pain as he did so.

"You okay, Danno?" Steve hovered nearby. But even as he said it, he looked over at Doctor Lee and glanced down at Danny's legs. Doctor Lee smiled and nodded as they both noted that Danny had no trouble moving his legs. Steve felt a little knot of fear that had been on the back of his mind the whole time, disappear with the movement.

Karen was immediately by his side again and started adjusting the head of the bed, "I'm going to move this so you're sitting up more than lying down. That should help you breathe better. Let me know when to stop." At his nod, she stopped the bed at his desired level and reached for a couple of pillows. "Do you want to be on your right side? You have some burns on your left leg and lower back along with some extensive bruising. I could prop you a little with the pillows and it might be a little more comfortable; take a little pressure off those burns."

Danny tiredly nodded. Steve helped his friend move as Karen expertly placed pillows behind him but away from the burns to prop him on his side more.

"Better?" Karen came around to see Danny's grateful nod. "Good. I'm going to go get another IV bag and check with Doctor Lee to see if he wants anything else added. You just take it easy and keep breathing nice and easy."

"Thanks," Steve finally had a chance to speak with Karen. "Thanks for helping take care of him."

"My pleasure," Karen smiled. "Though I wouldn't mind not needing to help Five-0 quite so much. I really am going to have to ask the governor to put me on your payroll."

Steve chuffed, but didn't disagree. He wouldn't be at all surprised if she asked and the governor agreed.

"I'll have Chin and Kono come in for a moment while I talk to Doctor Lee, but Danny really should get some rest. Taking the vent out and the coughing fit will have taken a lot out of him. Especially after dealing with Doctor Severson."

Steve's eyes grew dark at the doctor's name, "Yeah. Thanks for that, too, by the way. For being willing to come when we needed you."

Karen shrugged, "Like I said, I'll just get put on your payroll. I'll be right back."

Chin and Kono must have been waiting right outside the cubicle as they entered a second after Karen left. Chin was the first to reach Danny. "Hey, Brah, good to see you awake again."

Kono leaned over and gave him a cheek to cheek hug and squeezed his shoulder, "Good to see you awake again, Danny. And don't worry, Grace is doing fine. I told her I'd call her when you woke up so I'll do that in a little bit so she knows before she goes off to school."

Danny smiled and the gratitude to his friends for taking care of his daughter shone in his eyes. He reached a hand up to move the oxygen mask ever so briefly. His voice was raspy and hardly recognizable, "Thanks."

"Any time, buddy," Steve smiled. "But get that mask back on before Karen comes in and you get into trouble."

When Karen walked in a moment later, she wondered why the three team members looked guilty but decided she was better off not asking. "Okay, Doctor Lee said one of you can stay, but he really needs to rest." As she switched out IV bags, she looked down at Danny, "If you're up to it later, Danny, we're going to start some breathing treatments to help clear your lungs."

"I'll go call Grace, and let her know you're doing better, okay?" Kono leaned down and gave him another quick hug. "I'll be back later, Brah."

"Yeah, just take it easy. We'll be back later," Chin grinned as Danny held out a fist and the older man fist bumped him. "We got your back, Bro."

Danny tiredly waved at the two as they left his room. He could feel the drugs pulling him towards sleep again as his gaze found his partner's.

"I'm going to stay for a while. Make sure you don't need anything, and then I'll probably head into the office and track down a few leads on this case. You gonna be okay?" Steve's voice held that hint of concern that his partner was quick to catch.

Once again, Danny reached for the oxygen mask and pulled it away from his face to make sure Steve heard him. "I'm, okay... do... what you need... to do." His eyes drifted shut and Steve thought he'd fallen asleep again, but when he went to put the oxygen mask back in place, Danny opened his eyes again briefly and gave him a half smile, "You really are... a... Neanderthal animal." And with that, Danny let his eyes close and sleep claim him once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Later that evening the team sat in Danny's newly acquired private room. His condition had been downgraded from critical to serious and Doctor Lee decided he would do just fine in his own room. Karen was still keeping a close eye on him and the doctor was making him a priority as well. The team now enjoyed being able to all visit at once and Karen made sure all the nurses knew the team had permission to come and go as they pleased

Danny dozed off and on while the team quietly discussed what they had discovered so far. He had done two breathing treatments that afternoon which had sapped his strength and made his chest ache. Karen assured him they would get easier and that he was doing great. He still couldn't talk much without eliciting another coughing fit which, while helpful in clearing his lungs, was very painful.

"I've looked at all the parents of the kids invited to the birthday party," Kono informed the team. "And I don't see anything that jumps out. I'd say they're clean and can be moved to the bottom of the list."

Steve nodded and sighed, "We've cleared just about everyone. I think we're going to have to take a harder look at the Burnharts. Chin, what do you have on them so far?"

"Sheila Burnhart is a teacher at The Academy of the Sacred Hearts which, as we all know, is Grace's school. Jeff Burnhart founded and still runs Island Securities, the largest private security company in Hawaii. They hold several major accounts including several of the marinas and shipping companies, banks, most of the businesses in downtown Waikiki and they frequently provide back up security to the governor and other high ranking officials on the islands."

"So if they're behind this, why would they want to burn down their own house?" Kono wondered.

Danny stirred and tried to take the oxygen mask off. Steve gently grabbed his hand and smiled, "What have we told you about that? Keep the mask on."

Danny glared and moved his partner's unresisting hand and then the oxygen mask, "Check the doorman."

Chin looked at Danny questioningly, "Why do you say that?"

"He had shifty eyes," Danny shrugged.

"You met the man for what? A minute," Steve smiled.

"Maybe the Burnharts..." Danny paused to catch his breath, "they didn't do this to themselves... maybe someone did it to them."

Kono nodded, "Makes sense. They really didn't stand to gain anything that we can tell. And if they did it on purpose they probably wouldn't have done it while they were still in the house."

"Not to mention with extra witnesses around," Chin chimed in.

"And the timers," Steve considered. "Not many people use timers when they burn themselves out. They try to make it look like an accident."

Danny nodded, eyeing the cousins and then shifting his gaze back to Steve, "I'm just saying... I think... the butler is good... for this."

"We've already cleared him," Steve informed him. "But we'll take a closer look at him. It does make sense that it would be an inside job. What we need to do is figure out why."

Danny shifted in the bed and grimaced. His friends were at his side in an instant, concern etched on all their faces. Danny had closed his eyes to ride out the pain, and when he opened them, he couldn't help but scowl at his friends, "Don't you all... have something better to do... than watch me? I'm okay... really. Back off... you're using all my oxygen."

Kono and Chin smiled and backed off while Steve leaned farther into Danny's personal space. "Then maybe you should put the mask back on."

Danny started to put the mask back on, but before he did, he stuck his tongue out at his partner and muttered, "Animal."

Steve just grinned at his friend, and was opening his mouth to answer when Karen walked in and broke up the moment.

"Hey, Danny," Karen smiled at him. "How are you doing?"

Danny gave her a thumbs up.

"He lies," Steve informed her. "He's in pain every time he moves, and he won't push the button for the pain medication. He's had three bad coughing spells in the last two hours."

Danny rolled his eyes at his partner and once again moved the mask out of his way so he could speak," Pain medicine isn't working... besides, it's really not... that bad."

"Uh huh," Karen didn't sound like she believed him as she checked his vitals. "Well, here's what we're going to do. I need to change the dressing on your burns, then we're going to do another breathing treatment, and then I'm going to give you a stronger pain medicine because you're going to want it after all that. Besides, it should help you sleep tonight. Tomorrow, Doctor Lee wants to get you up and moving a bit so there's less chance of pneumonia setting in."

"Sounds fun," Danny snarked. He looked at his friends, "You guys should go... go home and get some sleep... I don't need babysitting and... you're all tired."

Chin nodded. He wanted to argue and stay, but he also knew Danny needed some space to get through the medical treatment Karen was about to do. Chin knew there were just some things you didn't want your friends to see you going through, and he could tell Danny was at his limit for the day. "Okay, Brah. We'll see you in the morning; get some rest."

Danny smiled at the older man, grateful for his understanding, "Thanks, Buddy." He held out his fist for Chin to bump.

Kono reluctantly agreed with her cousin. She leaned down to give Danny a kiss on the cheek, "Okay, Danny, I'll see you in the morning. Remember, I'm picking Grace up after her early out from school and bringing her over so get some rest."

Danny's eyes sparkled at the thought of a visit from his daughter. He held Kono's wrist and pulled her down to his level, "Thanks for helping with Grace... and thanks for washing my hair."

Kono leaned back in surprise, "How do you know I washed your hair?"

"It smells like coconut," Danny smiled. "Just like your hair... and the hospital stuff... wouldn't be this good."

Kono grinned and gave him another kiss, pleased that he had noticed. "You're welcome. Least I could do."

Danny glanced at Steve and then at the cousins, "Make sure he goes with you."

"Danny," Steve protested.

"You need to go home," Danny sighed. "I'm okay... go home. Sleep in your own bed.. not in that stupid chair," Danny waved a hand in the direction of the regulation hospital chair. "I'll be fine... really. Just go... I..." Danny's rant was interrupted by a coughing fit that had him doubled over and spitting junk into the waste bin that Karen adeptly moved into range.

After several minutes, Karen rubbed his arm and once again leaned over into his line of sight, "Better? Here, put the mask back on for a bit. I'm going to change the dressings on your back and leg. You just rest and breathe."

Steve stood uncertainly off to the side while Kono and Chin lurked in the doorway.

Danny took several breaths of the pure oxygen before opening his eyes and looking at his friends again. His brow furrowed and he motioned for Steve to step closer. When he did, Danny grabbed his hand and made him look him in the eye. Once again, Danny moved the oxygen mask to speak, "You have... aneurism face... I'm fine, Babe... I am... Go home. All of you... I'll still be here tomorrow... Go get some rest."

Chin and Kono reluctantly left at Danny's urging, promising to return as soon as they could the next day. Steve continued to hold Danny's hand and stare at him.

"I'm okay, Steve... really," Danny reassured his friend while letting go of his hand. "Stay until she's done... with my back... then go... please?"

"Okay," Steve finally acquiesced. "If you're sure."

Danny smiled at his friend, "I'll be fine... thanks."

"Okay, Danny," Karen scooted her rolling stool up to Danny's bed, the tray of instruments close at hand. "This is probably going to hurt, but I'll try to make it quick."

Danny nodded and then closed his eyes and hissed in pain as she removed the old dressing and started to clean the burned area. Without looking, he reached for Steve's hand that he knew would be there and squeezed while she expertly did her job.

After a few minutes, Karen gently patted Danny's shoulder, "That's it; I'm done. You did great, and those burns are looking a lot better."

Danny nodded and then looked at Steve, "Thanks, Buddy."

"Any time, Brother, any time."

Danny smiled, "I know... but I'm serious... you should go home now. I'm good."

"You sure?"

"I am," Danny waved at the door. "Go get some sleep... she's going to torture me... and then I'm going to sleep."

"They're breathing treatments, Detective, not torture," Karen smiled.

"To-ma-to... To-mah-to," Danny groused. "Really, Steve, I'm fine."

"Okay, fine," Steve finally agreed. "But I'll be back right away in the morning. Get some sleep, Danno."

Danny waved him out the door while Karen got the instruments for his breathing treatment. As Steve turned in the doorway, he met his partner's gaze once again and simply smiled and nodded as he walked out.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Again, thank you for all the reviews. I have been trying to respond to each of them, but if I've missed you, I apologize. And for my guests - thank you for taking the time to review. I appreciate them all!

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True to his word, Steve arrived back at the hospital early the next morning. He found Danny sleeping and after an hour of sitting next to the hospital bed reviewing the case, Steve decided he should head into the office. He left a quick note on the nurse's white board on the wall so Danny would know he'd been there.

A little while later Danny woke feeling much more human. He still hurt a great deal, but he could tell he'd slept well and for a long time. His gaze traveled to the clock on the wall and then smiled as he saw the white board underneath the clock. Steve's message read:

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,

I was here at what I'm sure you'll call the ungodly hour of 6:00 a.m.

You're still sleeping so I'm going to head to the office. We'll stop by

around lunch. Don't give the nurses a hard time.

-Steve"

"Good morning," Karen glanced at the board when she saw him looking and then smiled as she also read the message. "The night nurses said you slept well so how are you feeling?"

Danny moved the oxygen mask and shifted a little in the bed, "Better, thanks."

"Good. Doctor Lee will be by soon to check you out, but if all goes well, we'd like to get you up and moving today. We'll take it slow and easy at first."

Danny nodded, "Good."

"We're going to do a breathing treatment and I'm going to change your bandages again. If the burns look good, I'll leave the dressing off for a while. Then after the doc gets here, we'll get you up to walk around a little. It won't be much, but maybe you can sit in the chair for a bit as well."

When the team arrived after lunch, Danny was dozing after a busy morning. The oxygen mask had been replaced by a nasal cannula, and he looked comfortable for the first time since he arrived at the hospital. Kono snorted when she went to take a seat by the wall which happened to be next to the white board. "Hey, Boss, I think that's for you."

Steve read the message scrawled in Danny's handwriting on the board and smiled,

"Dear Evil Stepmother,

Yes, I'm sleeping again. Deal with it. Wake me when

Grace gets here.

6:00 IS ungodly... bite me, Steven.

-Danny"

"I guess he's feeling better," Chin smiled.

The team quietly discussed the case and the results of various interviews conducted that morning. After about an hour, Kono left to pick Grace up from school while Danny continued to sleep.

"Hey, Steve," Chin pointed at something in a file he was looking through. "Did you see this? HPD is doing another round of interviews with some of the people involved but concentrating on the employees. They haven't been able to get in touch with the doorman."

"When did someone talk to him last?" Steve wondered.

Chin flipped through a few pages, "Looks like the only statement he gave was the initial one on scene. HPD and the arson investigator have both tried to call with no response and HPD reports an attempt to visit his last known address, also with no luck."

"That's a little suspicious."

"More than a little. Duke's report states that Jeff Burnhart has been able to contact all other employees to follow up with them, but he hasn't been able to get a hold of George Davila, the doorman."

"I told you he was good for this," Danny smiled at them.

"Hey, Danno," Steve smiled.

"How're you feeling?" Chin wondered.

"Better. Tired, but better."

"He's doing very well," Karen informed them as she entered. "Doctor Lee is quite pleased with his progress. The breathing treatments are doing their job, and the burns are looking very good."

"That's great," Steve couldn't help his grin.

"Danno!" Grace's excited voice interrupted their conversation as she came into the room with Kono. She quickly put her backpack down and went to stand next to Danny's bed.

"Monkey!" Danny's smile could have lit up Oahu. He reached out for a hug which she happily provided. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, Danno."

"Here, Grace, you can sit next to your dad," Steve lifted her up and carefully settled her next to Danny. "But be careful not to bump him."

"I'm not that fragile," Danny groused. He nodded towards a bag Kono was holding, "What's that?"

"Grace and I thought you might need a few things so we stopped by your place and picked up some clothes for you. I grabbed your robe so when they get you up to walk, you can cover more than that hospital gown does."

"Thanks, this thing is a bit drafty when up and about," Danny gave Karen a look.

Karen returned his look with a sweet smile, "The other nurses will be so disappointed."

The team looked expectantly at Karen as it was clear that there was something she wasn't telling. Steve finally broke the silence, "All right, spill it."

"We did get Danny up for a walk earlier today," Karen explained.

"And apparently I flashed the nurses desk on my way back," Danny growled.

"I don't think the nurses were complaining," Karen pointed out.

Kono gave him a pat on the shoulder and a wicked smile, "I'm sorry I missed it."

"Et tu, Kono?" Danny frowned, but his eyes were smiling. And then, turning his attention back to Grace, his smile returned full force, "How was school, Monkey?"

That set Grace off on a long explanation of her day. They all listened, glad to have something cheerful to listen to and think about. Grace's laugh and smile were contagious and looked to be the best medicine for Danny.

However, after two hours, Danny was starting to doze again. As soon as his head would droop, he would jerk himself awake and pain would flash across his features. Steve noticed and after the second time, he looked meaningfully at Danny and nodded at the button for the pain medicine. Danny shook his head and smiled at his daughter to encourage her current story.

Two more times of pointedly ignoring his partner's silent pleas and Danny was thinking that maybe it was time for a rest soon. He was saved from having to admit it out loud when Karen entered.

"Looks like you're having a good visit and I hate to break it up, but we really should get you up for a short walk and then a breathing treatment."

Danny nodded and smiled at Grace, "Sorry, Monkey, the boss has spoken. You should get back to your mom before supper anyway."

"Can I come back tomorrow, Danno?" Grace pleaded with the puppy dog eyes that never failed to melt his heart.

"Of course, just check with your mom and then let Uncle Steve or Auntie Kono know, so one of them can pick you up, okay?"

Grace threw her arms around him and whispered, "Love you, Danno."

"Love you, too, Monkey."

"C'mon, Gracie," Steve held out his hand for her to take. "Why don't we wait out at the nurse's station and maybe Danno can walk us to the elevator."

Danny nodded as his daughter looked his way, "I'll be right there. Go on wait with Uncle Steve."

"Don't forget your robe, Danno," Steve threw out as they exited.

"Animal," Danny muttered as Karen helped him swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Here, Brah," Chin held the robe out for Danny to put on. "Don't worry, I sent my peeping cousin out with Steve. I'll give you a hand."

"Thanks, Buddy."

Danny shuffled out holding the IV pole with his right hand while Chin held onto his left elbow for a little support. Karen followed closely behind in case more support was needed.

Grace looked a little worried as she saw her dad walking so slowly and not entirely on his own. Steve squeezed her hand and smiled at her, "It's okay, Gracie. Danno is still really sore and has some bad bruises that make it hard for him to walk, and his lungs still need to get better before he can go much faster."

At the elevator, Grace gave her dad another hug, "Love you, Danno."

"Love you, too, Monkey."

"I'll take her back and then I'll be back. Take it easy, Partner." Steve told him.

"Thanks," Danny watched the elevator doors close before allowing himself to sag and accept more of Chin's support.

"You okay, Danny?" Chin tightened his grip on his friend.

"Yeah, just really tired."

"Here, Danny," No one had noticed Karen slip away while Danny was saying his goodbyes. She was back now with a wheelchair.

Danny briefly thought of refusing, but the thought of walking back to his room exhausted him even more. He allowed Chin to help ease him into the chair. "I hate this so much," he whispered.

Chin patted his shoulder in sympathy, "You're doing great, Brah."

"Yeah, Danny," Kono chimed in. "You'll be good as new in no time."

Once back in his room, Danny sank wearily into the bed and allowed Karen and Kono to get him settled, too tired to even help.

"I think we'll skip the breathing treatment until later," Karen told him as she slipped the nasal cannula back into place. She pushed the button for the pain medication for him as Kono adjusted the blanket over him. "Just get some rest."

Chin and Kono made themselves comfortable in the chairs, and by the time Karen was out the door, Danny was sound asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This is a short chapter but necessary to keep the case moving right along.

* * *

When Danny awoke later that evening, the team was still there, slogging through details of the case. Chin rubbed his eyes and scowled at the screen when his eyes wouldn't focus.

"You guys should go home and get some rest," Danny pointed out.

Steve shrugged, "We will pretty soon."

"How's it coming?" Danny wondered.

"Slow," Kono commented.

"I feel like we're missing something," Chin sighed.

"Like what?" Danny looked around at his friends.

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be missing it, would we?" Steve's voice held more of a growl than he intended.

Danny waved off the apology he saw coming, "Chin, what makes you think you're missing something? You have to have some reason for saying it. What is it that is frustrating you?"

Chin paused in thought, "Something doesn't feel right about this doorman, George Davila."

"You mean other than the fact that he's missing," Kono teased.

"Yes," Chin smiled. "Other than that."

"What have you gotten from Jeff Burnhart about him?" Danny wondered. "Maybe there's something in his personnel folder that could help us."

"We're meeting with Jeff Burnhart tomorrow first thing in the morning, and he's bringing over the employee records that could help," Steve told him.

"This had to have been an inside job," Danny mused. "If the HFD report shows high levels of an accelerant, it had to have been an inside job. Maybe it's Davila or maybe he was just the way to get access."

Kono quickly paged through some documents on her computer pad. "HPD asked for a list of any visitors to the house in the week before the fire. The arson investigator thinks the accelerant was probably put down the day or two before to have the most effectiveness."

"Anything that looks promising?" Steve asked.

"The catering company came the day before to drop off a few things, but that's it for a few days prior to the fire."

Chin's head snapped up, "Wait, what?"

"What?" Kono looked startled. "What did I say?"

"It's what you didn't say," Chin semi-explained as he flipped through documents on his own pad and wishing he could swipe it onto an overhead monitor for them all to see. He had to settle for passing the pad to Steve. "Here it is. Look. The housekeeper mentions a pest control company coming in the day before the party."

"Godfather's Exterminating."

"Really?" Danny's eyebrows went up. "That's the name?"

Steve shrugged, "That's probably why the housekeeper remembered it. The Burnharts didn't mention having them come in so maybe they weren't really scheduled."

"And they had to be let into the house by someone," Danny pointed out.

Kono nodded, "And who better to let them in than the doorman."

"It would explain how the accelerant could be put down without anyone noticing. All they had to do was pretend they were spraying for bugs. No one would give them a second look."

Chin smiled, "I'll check with the company in the morning and see what they have in their records and see if someone has a connection to George Davila. Thanks, Danny."

"Glad I could help," Danny smiled. "Not like I've done anything else on this case."

"Yeah, except recover," Kono smiled at him and patted his arm. "Which you are doing a great job of."

"I do feel much better," Danny sighed. "Matter of fact, I hope Doctor Lee lets me go home soon."

"Doctor Lee will consider it," Doctor Lee smiled as he entered the room. "Your latest chest x-ray looks terrific and your lung function is much improved. I think we'll reevaluate your condition tomorrow afternoon and you may be able to be discharged the following morning."

Danny beamed at the news. "What time frame am I looking at for going back to work?"

"Danny!" All three of his friends protested.

Danny sighed, "I know it will be desk duty for a little while, but I want to know how long it's going to take me to get back to full strength."

"If you are released Friday, I will expect you to have an appointment with your regular doctor Monday or Tuesday before being cleared for desk duty. It will be up to your regular doctor as to when you return to full duty."

"Best guess?" Danny practically pleaded.

"At least a week if not more. You'll go home with a bronchodilator inhaler because you can expect to have some asthma-like attacks for a little while, and once those become few and far between, I would expect you could regain your normal routine."

"Relax, Danno," Steve smiled. "You don't have to hurry back."

"We'll evaluate your condition again tomorrow, Detective," Doctor Lee smiled. "You have shown amazing progress from when you were first brought in so barring any complications, I expect to be able to release you on Friday. We can discuss restrictions when you are discharged."

"Thanks, Doc," Danny shook the man's hand.

"Great news, Brah," Chin smiled as Doctor Lee left the room.

"Yeah, that'll be good," Danny sighed and leaned back a little more on the pillows.

"Hey," Steve caught the cousins' eyes and glanced at their tired friend. "We'll get outta here so you can get some more rest. We'll be back tomorrow after we talk to Jeff Burnhart and let you know what he had to say."

"Sounds good," Danny smiled at his ohana. "Thanks, guys, for everything."

"Take it easy, Bruddah," Chin smiled at the younger man.

"Get some sleep, Danny," Kono gathered her things and patted Danny on the arm as she headed for the door.

"Call me if you need anything," Steve offered. "I mean it. I don't care what time it is, you call me if you need me."

Danny waved him towards the door," Go on. I appreciate it, but I think I'm just gonna sleep for a while."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Danny let him get all the way to the door before commenting, "I told you the butler did it."

"Nice, Danno, just nice." Steve shook his head as he walked out.


	11. Chapter 11

At exactly 8:00 the next morning, Officer Robertson escorted Jeff Burnhart into the Five-0 offices. Mr. Burnhart looked around and though not exactly nervous, he seemed to be a little impatient or something. Steve wanted to find out what that 'or something' could be.

"Mr. Burnhart, nice to meet you," Steve emerged from his office to shake the man's hand. A brief nod to Officer Robertson had the rookie hanging back by the door but not leaving yet. "I'm Commander McGarrett. This is Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalakaua."

"I brought the files that you requested," Burnhart held out a flash drive.

"Thank you," Chin took the flash drive and headed to the smart table.

"What do you know about George Davila?" Steve asked the man as he led them all over to the smart table. "How long has he worked for you?"

"Only about two weeks. He's actually just a temporary hire as my usual guy had knee surgery and expected to be gone about six weeks."

"Did you run the usual background checks on him?" Steve inquired.

Burnhart nodded, "Of course; everything came back clean. I thought if he worked out okay serving as doorman, I'd see if he was interested in a position in the company."

"Island Securities," Steve clarified. "You do quite well with your company, from the sounds of things."

"I've worked hard at it," Burnhart sounded defensive. "We have a lot of good accounts, and it's taken a lot to get where we are today. I won't let anyone ruin that."

Kono tilted her head, "Why do you say that?"

"I... Just forget it. It's just a phrase," Burnhart seemed flustered all of a sudden. "If you have what you need, I should be going."

"Actually, I'd like to ask you a few questions," Steve told him. "Like why would someone want to burn down your house?"

"I really don't know," Burnhart shrugged as his gaze traveled quickly over the three task force leaders, Officer Robertson at the door and the office in general.

Kono's eyes rose as she met Steve's look. Steve's eyes narrowed as he looked at Burnhart. His voice was deceptively calm as he reigned in his anger, "See, I really don't believe you. I think you know more than you are telling us, and I'm getting tired of the run around. My partner almost died saving your child. It's time you came clean with us."

Burnhart sighed, "Don't get me wrong. I'm very grateful for Detective Williams' actions in getting everyone to safety and most especially for saving Ashley, but..."

Robertson took two steps farther into the room as Burnhart started to pace. He kept an eye on the obviously upset man, not knowing what he might do.

The Five-0 team watched as Burnhart paced and flung his hands around in a way that rivaled Danny's. He rubbed his hands down his face and apparently came to some sort of a decision. The team just watched and let him speak when he was ready.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat, "I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a man calling himself Angel. He said he had a proposition for me. When I met with him, he offered me one million in cash."

"What did he want from you?" Chin wondered. "And did he give you a last name?"

"No," Burnhart shook his head. "He only called himself Angel and said that was all I needed to know. He had a list of people that he wanted me to hire, no questions asked and no background checks. He didn't even want them on the payroll. He said he would take care of that. All he wanted was for me to assign them wherever and whenever he wanted."

"Do you still have that list of names?" Steve asked.

"No, I never even looked at it real closely. When I refused, he shoved it into his pocket."

"What did he say when you refused?" Kono questioned.

Burnhart gave a rueful smile, "He was not happy. He kept trying to persuade me. He even upped the amount he would pay me for each time I followed their directions. It took about five minutes before I could get him to leave."

"Did he threaten you?" Steve asked though he was pretty sure he knew the answer to the question.

"Not outright, really. He said I was making a mistake and that I'd be sorry. That was the last I heard of him until..." Burnhart stopped and had to regain his composure.

"Until the fire," Kono supplied.

Burnhart nodded, "The day after the fire. I got a phone call. He didn't say his name, but I recognized his voice; it was him. Angel. He said something about it being a shame that I lost my house and how lucky I was that no one was hurt. Then he just hung up."

"Have you heard from him since? Another call? A Visit? Anything?" Steve was sure that if he hadn't already, he'd hear from this Angel again soon.

"Yes," Burnhart sighed and looked at the floor. "Yesterday afternoon I got another call. He said I would get one more chance to accept his offer and I better take it, or someone might get hurt. He told me not to tell anyone, but..."

"But what, Mr. Burnhart?" Kono's voice was gentle and she tried to get more information from him.

"But I had already set up this meeting with you guys, and I don't think I can do this on my own. I was going to handle it myself, but if he can get into my house and burn it down, what else can he do?"

"You did the right thing in coming to us," Steve assured him. "We need all the information we can get on this guy. Where's your family now?"

"We're staying at some friends' house right now. They're about to leave on a month long trip and offered their house to us to use until we can find something for however long it takes to rebuild our house."

"I'm going to get some HPD officers to keep an eye on you." Steve told him.

"No need," Burnhart smiled. "I own a security company, remember? I've reassigned some of my people just in case. And, don't worry, they are all people that have been with me a long time and I trust completely."

Steve wasn't entirely happy but agreed, "Okay, that will do."

They were interrupted by a ping from the smart table. Chin looked it over and smiled, "We've got something. I ran facial recognition on George Davila and got a hit. His name is really George Kingston. He's had some minor run-ins with the law but no felonies."

"At least none he's been caught for," Kono pointed out.

"How'd he get through my background check?" Burnhart wondered. "Even with a false name, we should have caught on."

"I'm guessing this Angel person has someone in his organization with some high level skill in forgery, identity theft and probably even computer hacking to get this cleared with no hits." Chin speculated.

"Mr. Burnhart," Steve pointed at the man. "I want you to go about your day as you normally would. Keep your security alert around your family, and let us know if you hear from Angel again. If he calls knowing that you met with us, just tell him that we asked you come in for some follow up questions."

"Okay," Burnhart straightened and Steve finally could see the strength of the man. "If you don't get this guy in the next day or two I might send my family to the mainland until it's resolved. I don't mind fighting my own battles, but I don't want my family in the middle of this."

"We'll keep you updated," Steve shook his head and nodded at Robertson to escort him out of the offices.

"Well," Steve turned to Chin after Burnhart was out of sight. "What do you make of his story?"

"Makes sense," Chin shrugged. "Island Securities holds a lot of high profile accounts that would be very tempting to the criminal element. The Yakuza would love to get their guys into some of these places. Can you imagine them having a free pass around the security at the docks with all those cargo ships coming in?"

"Let's check it out," Steve directed. "Kono, give Kamekona a call, and see if he's heard anything about Angel."

"Will do, Boss."

The team worked until lunch when they decided to take a break and take Danny some lunch, too. Steve was feeling more confident that they were getting closer to solving the case, but in the back of his mind, he had a tiny sense of impending doom. He shook his head and passed it off as lack of sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Well, it's unanimous - everyone thinks Steve's sense of impending doom is going to lead to something. I guess we'll see...

* * *

Late that evening, Steve was still sitting by Danny's hospital bed and trying to nail down that uneasy feeling in the back of his mind. Chin and Kono had long since gone home, taking Grace with them after her visit.

"I know I am going to regret asking this," Danny studied his partner's pensive face. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Steve was so intent on his thoughts that he didn't even rise to the bait, "I just have this feeling that we should be doing more to locate Angel and his associates. Kamekona confirmed he's the head of an organized crime group trying to make a name for themselves. He thinks they're aiming to take over from the Yakuza since Adam Noshimuri is legitimizing more and more of his operations."

"But you said Kamekona didn't know where they were basing their operations," Danny pointed out. "So you can't exactly raid their headquarters at this point. I'm not sure what else there is to do right now."

Steve sighed and shook his head, "You're probably right. Maybe Chin will dig up more we can use tomorrow. But I will be here in the morning to take you home."

Danny grinned, "I can't wait."

"What time did Doctor Lee say you'd be released?"

"He just said some time in the morning." Danny shrugged. "So whenever you get here is fine. You should go home now and get some sleep."

Steve stood, "Yeah, you're probably right..."

"Wanna repeat that?" Danny's eyes sparkled.

Steve smirked, "Not really."

"It was worth a try."

"Good night, Danno, see you in the morning."

Danny was asleep before Steve even made it to the parking lot and was awake bright and early the next morning anxiously awaiting Doctor Lee's arrival so he could be discharged. "Good morning, Detective," Karen came in smiling. "It's good to see you up and about and ready to head home."

"Thanks, Karen," Danny smiled in return. "We haven't seen you in awhile so I haven't had the chance to thank you for all your help those first few days. Kono says you were a lifesaver and helped a lot."

"Just doing my job," She replied modestly.

"I'd say it was above and beyond. So, thank you. I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome. And no offense, but I hope I don't have to take care of you again for a very long time... if ever."

Danny laughed, "No offense taken. I feel the same way."

"Hey, Danny, you ready to go?" Steve had a big smile on his face as he entered the room.

"Ready? Yes, but the doctor hasn't been in yet."

Karen patted his arm, "Don't worry. It shouldn't be too long. He was checking on a patient in the ICU and should be up soon. Once he's released you, your nurse will disconnect the IV and give you your instructions and medicine. Then you can go home and rest."

"Yes, Ma'am," Danny winked at her. "And you won't have to put up with me again... I hope."

Karen nodded, "As fun as it is to be the personal nurse to Five-0, I think I could live with not dealing with you on a formal basis."

"We'll do our best," Steve assured her.

"Says the man who likes to blow things up," Danny muttered.

"What was that, Danno?"

"Nothing, Steven," Danny smiled.

"Goodbye, Detective. Commander," Karen laughed as she walked out. It was good to see them in good moods rather than injured and worried.

Ten minutes later Doctor Lee walked in the door, smile on his face, "Well, Detective, I guess it's time to let you leave us. I must say that you've made remarkable progress the last few days, but you need to remember to take it easy for a little while. You're going home with an inhaler to use when you get out of breath. When you do get out of breath, you need to take that as a sign to slow down and take it easy."

Danny nodded, "Sure, Doc."

"Don't forget to set up an appointment with your regular doctor for early next week, and if you have any issues this weekend, go ahead and come on in. I'm here most of the weekend."

"Got it."

Doctor Lee studied his patient one more time, "The nurse will come in with your discharge papers and inhaler and then you can be on your way. I'm serious about taking it easy, Detective, and not overdoing things. I don't want to see you back in here again."

"We'll make sure he takes it easy," Steve assured him.

Danny rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'll be lucky if they let me out of their sight all weekend."

Doctor Lee smiled and shook both of their hands, "Thank you, gentlemen. It's been a pleasure, but one I'm hoping we won't have to repeat any time soon."

"Thanks, Doc," Steve and Danny chorused.

Danny was ready to pull the IV out himself by the time the nurse came in to do it for him. He hated IV's. They pulled on his skin whenever he moved his hands which he did a lot, and he didn't like the feeling of being tethered to something. He smiled at the nurse as she disconnected the IV and covered the site with a bandage, "Thank you. That's much better."

"Here is your medicine that Doctor Lee ordered for you, and I need you to sign a couple of papers before you go."

Danny nodded and signed all his papers handing them back with a hopeful look, "There you go. That's all of them, right? I'm free to go?"

The nurse smiled and looked at Steve and back to Danny, "Yes, that's all. If you want your friend to drive up, I'll take you down to the front entrance and you can be picked up there."

Steve grabbed Danny's bag and headed for the door, "Meet you downstairs, Danno. Enjoy your ride."

Danny sighed, "Is it really necessary to take me down in a wheelchair? I am capable of walking on my own, and once you shove me out the front door, I'll be expected to get up and walk out of here so what's the big deal?"

"Sorry, that's the rule," the nurse responded automatically. She heard that argument from many patients day in and day out and it barely registered with her now as she heard it again.

As Danny emerged from the hospital he took a moment to savor the feel of the sun on his face. He wouldn't admit it to Steve, but it did feel good after so many days cooped up indoors.

"Hey, Buddy," Steve called as he pulled up in front and got out to help Danny to the car if needed, "I bet the sun feels good after being cooped up in the hospital for so long."

"What? You mean the sun that's right now blinding me and baking me to a crisp because it's so flippin' hot on this godforsaken island? Oh, yeah, feels great," Danny snarked while inwardly pleased to be able to rant at his partner again.

Steve smirked, "Whatever you say, Danno."

"Shut up and drive, Steven," Danny settled into the passenger seat, unable to help a small smile from escaping.

Steve didn't miss the smile nor did he believe his partner's continued protestations of hating Hawaii. He knew Danny had come to terms with his life here and enjoyed it more than he let on. The whole team knew it but wouldn't let Danny know because he had his reputation to uphold, after all. It just wouldn't be the same if he didn't go Jersey on them every once in awhile, and if they happened to instigate that a time or two, what was the harm?

Halfway to Danny's apartment, Steve's cell phone rang. He hit the button to answer it through the car's stereo system, "McGarrett."

_"Commander McGarrett, this is Dispatch. You are requested to meet Officer Robertson at The Academy of Sacred Hearts as soon as possible."_

Steve threw a concerned look at Danny, "Do you know what this is about?"

_"Officer Robertson said he thinks he's seen your suspect in that vicinity. He will wait at the school for you."_

"Don't even think about leaving me out of this," Danny's tone brooked no argument as he looked at his partner. "Just go."

* * *

A/N: Again, not really a cliffie but pretty darn close!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So everyone is in agreement that Danny will not rest while the suspect is in the area of Grace's school. I'm not saying you're wrong. Let's see how much trouble they can get into now!

* * *

Steve threw the car into a u-turn and pressed his foot to the gas. He cast a sideways glance in Danny's direction, "I'm sure Grace is just fine."

Danny's voice was calmer than Steve was expecting, "I'm sure she is, too. Grace isn't at school today. None of the kids are; it's a teacher in-service day. You should call Chin and Kono and have them meet us there."

"Actually, why don't you call them while I try Jeff Burnhart? If Robertson has seen George Davila... George Kingston, he may be trying to get at Sheila Burnhart. We need to talk to him to find out if he knows what's going on."

"Chin and Kono are on their way," Danny informed Steve as they finished their calls. "They'll meet us there in ten."

"Jeff Burnhart isn't answering his phone," Steve mused. "It could be nothing..."

"Or it could be not good," Danny noted.

"I guess we're about to find out." Steve pulled the Camaro into a vacant parking spot at the school.

"There's Robertson," Danny pointed out the young officer headed their way.

"Why don't you wait in the car?" Steve requested of his partner, fairly sure he knew what the response would be.

Danny's only answer was to glare at his partner and get out of the car.

Steve rolled his eyes and joined him by the rear of the car. "Robertson, what's going on?"

"I was three blocks over when a van drove by and the driver looked just like your suspect, George Kingston. By the time I got turned around to follow him, he'd disappeared, but I knew Mrs. Burnhart works for the school here so I thought I'd check to see if he was here. I don't see the vehicle now though."

"Good thinking," Steve commended him. He turned as Chin and Kono pulled into the parking lot. They emerged in full tactical gear.

"What's going on, Boss?" Kono wondered.

"We believe George Kingston may be in the area," Steve explained. "Maybe even inside the school. I was unable to reach Jeff Burnhart."

"That's his car, Commander," Officer Robertson pointed out a dark blue sedan three spaces down.

"Okay," Steve looked at the group. "I'm thinking this isn't good. If Jeff Burnhart is here but not answering his phone and George Kingston may or may not be here but has been seen in the area..."

"Sheila Burnhart is a teacher here," Danny pointed out. "If Angel is going to make good on his threat, he may be trying to get to her."

"Jeff may be here to check on her, or to warn her if he's received a threat," Chin said.

Steve threw on his tactical vest, and pointed at Chin and Kono, "We'll go check it out. Danny, stay here and get us some back up just in case."

"I could..."

"No," Steve glared at him. "You've been out of the hospital less than an hour. You are not coming with us. Officer Robertson is going to stay with you to make sure you behave."

Danny glared right back, "I was going to say that I could check in with Island Securities to see if Burnhart's office has heard from him today or know if he's received any more visitors."

"Oh," Steve looked a little abashed. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Robertson still stays here."

"I don't need a babysitter," Danny muttered, and turned to Robertson. "No offense."

Robertson raised his hands in surrender, "None taken. I'll go call Sergeant Lukela for backup."

Steve, Chin and Kono made their way into the building and went directly into the principal's office to the right

"Commander McGarrett, can we help you?" the school secretary sounded very hesitant as she eyed them in their full tactical gear. The first time she had met him had been almost a year ago when he and Detective Williams had been at the school to speak on Career Day. They had ended up helping to evacuate the school when armed men had taken hostages. The task force, and particularly McGarrett and Williams, had been instrumental in ending the situation positively.

"Is Sheila Burnhart here today?"

"Yes, she should be in her room working right now," the secretary nodded.

"Have you seen Jeff Burnhart?" Chin wondered.

"No," she shook her head. "He hasn't been here that I know of, and all visitors are to check in here even if they are related to someone who works here."

"Can you call Mrs. Burnhart's room and have her come here, please?" Steve requested.

"Sure, just a moment," she looked up the room's extension and dialed. The longer it rang, the more puzzled she became. "She's not answering. She may be in the restroom."

The longer the phone rang without being answered, the more Steve was sure something was wrong. He glanced over at Chin and Kono; they had matching worried expressions. "If you wouldn't mind telling us where her room is, we'd like to check it out."

"Is there something wrong?"

"We're not sure yet," Steve answered. "We'd just like to go check on her. Detective Williams is outside and has called for backup. Stay here unless told to do otherwise by HPD or one of us."

The secretary nodded, gulping nervously.

"Where is Mrs. Burnhart's room?"

"Room 212. Go down the hall to the stairs. Go left when you reach the second level and her room is three doors down on the right."

"Thank you," Steve nodded and led Chin and Kono out to the hallway. "Chin, get Danny on the phone. Have him and Robertson come wait in the office. If we need to evacuate the building, he can direct it from there."

"Right," Chin did so as they made their way down the halls, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

As they reached the second floor, the three slowed and fanned out as Steve directed silently. They approached Room 212 and Chin and Kono took up position on the far side of the door while Steve carefully peered in through the window on the top half of the door. Not seeing anything, he carefully reached for the doorknob.

The three entered the classroom to find it empty. They looked around and saw no sign of a disturbance, but they still felt something was not quite right. Kono looked at the two men, "I guess I'll have to be the one to check the restroom."

"Good idea," Chin smiled.

Steve and Chin watched from the classroom doorway as Kono made her way down the hall to the women's restroom. She entered and came right back out shaking her head. The three went back into Mrs. Burnhart's room to discuss their options.

"We still don't know anything's wrong," Chin pointed out, ever the voice of reason.

"It doesn't feel right," Steve frowned.

Chin smiled, "I never said something wasn't wrong, just that we don't know it's wrong, but I'm with you, it doesn't feel right."

"I agree," Kono chimed in. "So now what?"

Steve was about to reply when they heard voices in the hall. The voices sounded happy and then there was a moment of laughter followed by even more voices from down the hall. The team stepped out to see what was going on. To say that the threesome dressed in tactical gear stepping out into the hallway caused a stir would be an understatement. The voices all stopped and at least one person gasped. The laughter died down nervously.

"Sorry," Steve apologized. "We're looking for Sheila Burnhart. Has anyone seen her?"

One of the ladies in front shrugged, "Sure, we all saw her earlier in the full group meeting."

"What time was that?" Chin asked.

"It started at 8:00 this morning, and we got done about 10:00. We have another group meeting starting in a few minutes. That's where we're all going."

"And Sheila Burnhart is supposed to be in this meeting?"

"Yes, it's down in the auditorium."

The three Five-0 members followed the teachers down to the auditorium all the while scanning their surroundings for any trouble. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Steve still felt sure that something was wrong.

"Commander McGarrett?" a voice stopped them as they were about to follow the group into the auditorium. "I don't think I want to know why you're here dressed the way you are."

"Luka," Steve shook the man's hand. "We're hoping it's nothing, but we may have a bit of a situation." Luka had also been instrumental in the safe evacuation of the school the year before. With his inside knowledge of the school, he had assisted Steve and Danny in locating students and safely rescuing the student being held hostage.

"What's going on?" the teacher and Hawaii National Guardsman asked.

"We're looking for Sheila Burnhart; have you seen her?"

Luka shook his head, "Not since the earlier meeting. Does this have anything to do with the fire at their house?"

"That's why we're looking for her," Steve didn't go into detail. "Have you seen her husband?"

Again, Luka shook his head, "No, can you tell me what's going on?"

"We think the person responsible for burning down their house may be trying to send Jeff Burnhart another message. His car's parked outside, but no one that we've talked to has seen him and we can't find her at the moment either."

"Come on in," Luke waved to the auditorium. "This meeting is for every teacher in the building so she's either here or someone may have seen her."

Chin and Kono stayed by the door while Steve went up front and briefly talked to Principal Park on the stage. The principal nodded and motioned to the microphone at the podium. Steve stepped up to the mic and looked out at the assembled teachers, "Sheila Burnhart, if you are here, I need you to stand up."

The teachers all looked around, murmuring quietly, but no one stood up. They all looked back at Steve and wondered what was going on.

"Has anyone seen Sheila Burnhart since this morning's meeting?" Four hands went up and Steve motioned to the door as he spoke, "Would you please go see my team over there to answer a few questions? Thank you. Has anyone seen Sheila's husband, Jeff, this morning?"

There was another small wave of murmuring and then a person stepped out of the shadows in the back of the auditorium and said, "I think I did."

Steve nodded his thanks to the principal and motioned the person over to join him with Chin and Kono. Judging by his attire, Steve figured he was a maintenance man with the school. Chin and Kono were talking with the teachers who had come forward as seeing Sheila Burnhart recently. Steve shook the maintenance man's hand, "You say you think you saw Jeff Burnhart. Are you not sure it was him?"

"I'm fairly sure it was him, but he was acting a little strange," the man shrugged, puzzled look on his face.

"What do you mean by strange?" Steve's feeling of unease grew.

"I saw him going down the hall as I came out of a maintenance closet. I tried to talk to him, but he blew me off. He's not usually like that. He is usually very friendly and willing to talk, but this time he hardly even acknowledged me. It wasn't really like him. I figured he was still kinda stressed about what happened to his house."

"Which way was he headed?"

"That's the strange thing. He was headed towards the basement stairs, not towards Mrs. Burnhart's classroom."

"What's in the basement?"

"Mostly it's just the boiler room with some storage space back in a corner. I'm not sure why he'd be headed that way."

"Thank you, that's a big help," Steve said as his trouble radar went off the chart. "I'll be right back."

Chin and Kono were thanking the teachers and sending them back to their seats as Steve stepped over. Chin gestured towards them, "Okay, they all agree that Sheila Burnhart left the meeting this morning and made it back to her room. The latest anyone saw her was about twenty minutes after that when one of them saw her headed downstairs."

"Was anyone with her?" Steve wondered.

"They just saw the back of her as she disappeared into the stairwell," Kono told him. "But they're sure it was her."

"I've got a maintenance guy who saw Jeff Burnhart headed towards the basement and acting strangely. The boiler room is in the basement."

Chin nodded, "The Burnhart house was burned down by timers in the heating and cooling system. They could be threatening to do the same thing here."

"That's my guess," Steve agreed. "I think Angel and some of his cohorts got in the building, took Shiela Burnhart to the boiler room and contacted her husband to make him another offer."

"And this time they're threatening his wife and threatening to burn down the school," Kono guessed.

"They probably thought they had a school full of kids as leverage, too," Chin pointed out. "They probably didn't know it was an in-service day."

"We need to get the teachers out of here and go check out the situation." Steve decided. "Chin, call Danny and let him know. I'll have Luka take this group out of here. Have Danny get the office staff out of here and let Duke know what's going on when he gets here."

"I'm on it," Chin stepped to the side to call Danny.

Steve motioned for Luka and explained what they thought was going on. He quickly agreed to head up the evacuation and offered other support should Five-0 need his help. Two minutes later, Luka had led the teachers out of the auditorium and towards the front door. After Chin finished explaining what was going on to Danny, the three task force members headed down the hall towards the basement stairs, weapons ready.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but it's a Danny chapter and we're moving right along to the conclusion. And to make up for it, I'll try to post another chapter tonight if I can.

* * *

Danny and Officer Robertson sat in the school office after Danny got the call from Chin about the possible need to evacuate. Danny really wished he could be helping the rest of his team right now, but he knew that he wasn't physically up to that yet, and he sure wasn't going to put his friends in danger by not being 100% in the field. He figured sitting in the office waiting to hear more was about what he was up to right now. Still, he wasn't much better than Steve when it came to waiting around when there was a mission to accomplish.

Danny looked over at Robertson sitting next to him, "Sorry you're stuck babysitting me. Steve's a bit of a mother hen sometimes. You don't have to sit here with me if you don't want to. When Duke gets here do what he needs you to do. I'm fine."

Robertson smiled, "It's okay. Commander McGarrett asked me to wait with you, and that's what I'll do. I'm just following his orders."

"Whatever trips your trigger, Robertson," Danny rolled his eyes. "Hey, what is your first name, anyway?"

"Robertson is fine," the young officer shifted a little in his seat.

Danny's detective sense kicked in at the tone in Robertson's voice, "What? Why don't you want me to know your first name? It can't be that bad, can it?"

Robertson was quiet for a moment. He snuck a look at the other man and decided to risk it, "Robert. My first name is Robert."

"Robert. That's not a bad first name. I don't know why you didn't want to tell me, Robertson... Ohhh, I got it. Robert Robertson. Were your parents mad at you when you were born or something? I mean, that's kinda mean, Robert Robertson... no offense."

Robertson sighed, "It's okay. I'm used to it. It's a family tradition passed down from my dad's Norwegian ancestors. I usually go by my middle name."

"Okay, what's your middle name?" Danny wondered.

"Alexander, but you can call me Al."

Danny grinned, "Did you really just say that?"

Robertson shrugged, "What? It's a good song."

"Okay," Danny slapped his hands on his legs. "Gup Gup it is."

"Gup Gup? What? Where did that come from?" Robertson was flabbergasted.

Danny grinned, "When I was a kid I used to have a guppy named Al. I used to make fishy faces at it, and my sisters would laugh and call me Gup Gup."

Robertson laughed, "I guess that works, too."

They were interrupted by Danny's cell phone, "Hey, Chin, what's up?...okay, got it... we'll make sure everyone gets out and send backup your way... yeah, they should be here soon... okay, got it... you guys be careful."

"Trouble?" Robertson was all business once again.

"Maybe," Danny stood. "We're going to evacuate the staff here. Do you remember Luka who helped us last year?" At Robertson's nod, he continued. "He's leading the evacuation of teachers from the auditorium. We need to get this office staff cleared out. Angel might have the Burnharts in the boiler room."

Robertson nodded again and helped get the office staff outside to join the teachers who exited right before them. He was halfway out the door himself when he noticed Danny stop short of the exit, "Aren't you coming? What's wrong?"

Danny stared out into the parking lot, and then pointed at a van pulled up to the main entrance, "Godfather's Exterminating. They were at the Burnhart residence the day before the fire. We think they may have been spreading the accelerant. Pretty big coincidence to have them here, too." He turned to go back in the school. "I'm going to go find them."

"Then I'm coming with you." Robertson declared.

Danny thought about protesting but realized he didn't have his gun so backup was probably a good idea. "Hey, Luka, when HPD gets here, send them our way. We're checking something out. C'mon, Gup Gup, let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: The Gup Gup reference in the last chapter is actually one of my nicknames thanks to my dad. My dad had a guppy named Al when he was a kid so when I was little and would pucker up to kiss him, he'd call me Al or Gup Gup. I can laugh about it now, but when I was in high school, that wasn't so funny!

* * *

Steve paused by the basement entrance and turned to Chin and Kono, "Remember, there's not much room down there so just take down the bad guys, nothing fancy. If you get the chance, get the Burnharts out of there and take them out of the equation."

"And remember," Chin pointed out. "They may have the boilers or something rigged down there."

"Alright, let's do this," Steve got affirmative head nods from Chin and Kono and slowly opened the door.

As soon as they opened the door they knew they were in the right place as voices drifted up from below. There was also a clinking sound echoing in the confined space. The team cautiously went step by step. Steve evaluated what he could see of his surroundings. He pointed at Chin and motioned the right and then pointed at Kono and motioned left. The cousins nodded their understanding.

Kono, bringing up the rear, watched as Steve and Chin slowly descended the stairs. She listened intently to the voices to see if she could figure out where they were and what was going on, but there was too much echo to figure out where they were situated. Steve paused three steps from the bottom and held up three fingers. She gripped her weapon as he counted down and tensed for the rush to come. As he got to one, the three charged forward.

"Freeze! Five-0!" all three yelled as they ran down the stairs, Chin going right and Kono going left.

Steve took in the scene in a heartbeat as he burst into the open space at the foot of the stairs. Sheila Burnhart was tied to an old, dented, brown folding chair. Her eyes went wide, but no sound came from her duct taped mouth. Jeff Burnhart was kneeling with his hands interlocked behind his head. He was glaring at their captor. Steve couldn't risk a shot since the man had a gun pointed at Jeff Burnhart's face.

Chin broke to the right, wishing for his shotgun but knowing that in the confined space, it was too dangerous to all of them. He saw a man attaching something to an electrical box. Before he could warn him to stop what he was doing, the man spun around, bringing a gun to bear on Chin. Without a second thought, Chin fired his own gun and then rushed over to kick the fallen gun away from the would-be shooter and then twirled to find Steve in a standoff with the presumed leader.

Kono reached the basement and went left, immediately encountering a gun-wielding suspect. She jump kicked him in the chest sending him sprawling back. His head hit a concrete stanchion with a sickening crack, and he dropped like a stone. As Kono was kicking away his gun, another man came at her out of the shadows. She saw him in her peripheral vision just in time and quickly threw herself to the floor as he fired. His shot hit his unconscious cohort, making one fewer suspect to book. Her shot went where she intended, saving them from booking yet another suspect.

Steve stood motionless with his gun trained on the leader who still had the gun aimed at Jeff Burnhart. Jeff glanced at his wife before glancing to his left to eye the Five-0 leader. His gaze went back to the gun pointed at him, but he was no longer as worried for even if he was shot, he knew that McGarrett would take care of Angel and his wife would be okay. He felt a huge burden lift from his shoulders. He straightened slightly and glared at his captor.

"Put the gun down, Angel," Steve commanded, fairly certain he was looking at the ringleader.

"I don't think so, Commander," the man sneered. "Mr. Burnhart and I were just about to make a deal."

Steve saw Burnhart's jaw clench, but the man wisely did not say anything. "Somehow I doubt that. Now put your weapon down, or I will shoot you."

"Are you willing to risk his life by shooting me? I might still get my shot off and kill him, and you might miss me in which case I _will_ shoot him."

"I won't miss," Steve's voice was icy calm.

Whatever Angel was about to say was left unknown as Jeff Burnhart surged to his feet, grabbing Angel's hands and forcing the gun up towards the ceiling. Kono quickly rushed over to drag Sheila Burnhart, chair and all, out of the way of the scuffle. A moment later a shot rang out and Angel dropped to the floor.

"Chin, check the rest of the basement. Make sure we got them all," he kept his gun trained on Angel who was now clutching a bleeding shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Kono asked Mrs. Burnhart as she worked to free her from the chair.

"Yes, thank you," she rubbed her wrists as they were freed. "Thank you."

Jeff quickly came over to kneel in front of his wife and cup her face in his hand, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sheila smiled at her husband, "I'm fine, honey. Really. I'm not sure if I should yell at you or hug you for that move though."

He smiled, "How about a hug now, and you can yell at me later?"

"Okay," she hugged him tightly as Kono got the last of the ropes off her allowing her to finally stand.

"Kono, come cuff this piece of garbage," Steve still held his gun on Angel.

"Commander," Jeff stepped over. "May I have the honor?"

Steve allowed a half smile, "Be my guest."

Kono helped Steve cover Jeff as he hauled Angel off the floor none too gently and pulled his arms behind his back, totally ignoring the man's cry of pain as his gunshot wound was jostled. He expertly slipped the handcuffs on and secured them as tight as he could without totally cutting off circulation.

"Basement's all clear," Chin reported. "And it looks like we only have the one suspect to interrogate."

Before Steve could comment, the door at the top of the stairs opened and they spun around to train their weapons at the possible new threat."

"HPD!" a voice bellowed from the top.

"Duke, we're clear," Steve called as he recognized the voice.

Duke quickly came down the stairs followed closely by four HPD officers. He motioned his men to take care of the suspects and recently freed Burnharts.

"Thanks, Duke..." Steve started to say, but Duke held up his hand to cut him off.

"Steve, there's been some trouble while you were down here."

"What happened?" Chin wondered.

"It's Danny..." Duke didn't get to finish as the three Five-0 members sprinted up the stairs.

* * *

Okay, so what do you think Danny's gotten himself into now?


	16. Chapter 16

Danny and Robertson made their way cautiously through the first floor. Halfway down the hall, Danny knelt and looked at the baseboard. He ran a finger across it and then sniffed. He looked up at Robertson, "It's definitely not water. Probably our accelerant."

Robertson looked around at the building, "It's going to be harder to burn down this school than the house. The building material is so much different and won't burn as readily."

Danny nodded, biting his lower lip in thought. "They can still do a lot of damage to the interior and things like books and paper will be burned easily enough, but I don't think they'll be satisfied with that. They really want to make a statement. They're going to want as much of this building to go down as they can." Danny suddenly snapped his fingers and looked at Robertson, "The cafeteria! Rig the ovens with the timers and open up as many gas lines as you can, and that's going to be quite the bang."

"That's gotta be it. Two different ignition sites, the boiler room and the cafeteria, and they're more likely to get the results that they want."

"Let's go," Danny trotted off in the direction of the cafeteria.

Robertson followed Danny, sure that they were correct in their assumption. The closer they got to the cafeteria the more worried he was about the detective though. He could hear the man breathing heavily and starting to wheeze. As they pulled up outside the cafeteria entrance, he looked at Danny, "You okay?"

Danny nodded, holding a hand to his chest, "I will be."

They waited a couple of minutes for Danny to catch his breath and to listen for any sign that they were in the right place. Just as Danny was starting to think they could be wrong, he heard a large clang followed by a string of curses. Another voice was too muffled to make out what was being said.

Robertson put a hand on Danny's shoulder as the detective was about to go in, "I better go in first, don't you think? After all, I have the gun."

Again, Danny wanted to protest, but knew that it only made sense for the uniformed officer with the weapon to lead. He nodded, "Fine. Remember, we don't have any backup yet so nothing fancy, just take them down if we have to. Give them the chance to give up, but if they want to start something, we'll finish it."

Robertson nodded, radioed in their position for the hopefully soon to arrive backup, and opened the door just enough for the two men to sneak in. As quickly as they could, while still staying out of sight, the two made their way over to the kitchen entrance where the students would normally line up for the serving line.

Danny patted Robertson's arm and gestured before slipping past him in a crouch and making his way down the narrow serving area, trying not to bump his head on the metal shelf where kids pushed their trays down the line. He stopped at a gap in the line and peered around into the kitchen area. He leaned back and motioned to Robertson holding up one finger and then pointing and then holding up the finger again and pointing the other direction.

Robertson watched Danny and nodded when he motioned. Two bad guys. One to their far left and the other was on the right. Not the best situation, but at least it was only two suspects. He knew he was a good shot and maybe if they got really lucky, they could get the drop on them and end it without having to fire. The left handed officer gripped the weapon in his hand and mentally figured out how to handle the situation if he did have to shoot.

Danny contemplated waiting for the two suspects to move closer together, but he didn't want to give them any more time to finish what they were doing. He really wished he had his gun; he'd settle for a weapon of any kind. Well, he'd just have to do without and make the best of it. He looked over at Robertson and held up three fingers before starting to count down. He got to one and they both stood while Danny yelled, "Five-0! Freeze!"

"Don't do it!" Robertson commanded as the suspect on the right started to raise the gun in his hand that was dangling at his side. Robertson side stepped closer to Danny knowing the detective was unarmed but not likely to let that fact stop him from action.

As Danny stood he noticed a gun on a counter roughly halfway between him and the suspect on the left who had been fiddling with one of the large ovens. He saw the man start to turn and out of the corner of his eye saw the other suspect start to raise his gun despite Robertson's order. Danny lunged for the weapon on the counter and got a hand on it just as the suspect reached it. The two wrestled for control of the gun.

Robertson watched the suspect raise the weapon and without another warning fired his own weapon at the man hitting him in the chest. The suspect staggered back, and as he started to fall, pulled his own trigger. Robertson flinched when the gun went off, but wasn't worried about himself because the man had twisted when hit and was now facing the side of the kitchen where Danny and the other suspect fought for control of the gun.

Danny could tell he wasn't going to win the fight for the gun even as he put all his strength into fending off the suspect. His chest felt tight and his muscles weak from lying in a hospital bed for the better part of a week. He heard Robertson fire his gun and a split second later three more gunshots behind him. At almost the same time the man he was fighting went suddenly limp and Danny felt pain flare in his right arm and leg.

Robertson glanced at Danny hoping he was okay, but he had to secure the suspect. He checked for a pulse, finding none. He still kicked the gun away from the man's lax hand just in case.

Danny fell to the floor and tried to control his breathing. He could feel blood flowing down his arm and leg from the gunshot wounds, and his chest hurt from the short jog through the halls followed by the struggle for the weapon. He felt totally spent.

Robertson rushed over and knelt in front of Danny, "Are you okay?"

Danny grimaced and tried to sit up. He shifted the gun from his right hand to left. "I've been better."

"Sorry," Robertson looked scared to death. "My shot spun him around and he fired as he was falling."

"Not your fault," Danny assured him. "At least he took care of his buddy here for us. I fared better than he did."

Danny was correct in his assessment as the bad guy suffered one gunshot to Danny's two, but Danny's were in the arm and leg whereas the taller suspect had taken a headshot that had felled him instantly.

"Commander McGarrett is going to kill me," Robertson moaned.

Danny smiled, "I'll take care of him."

Before Robertson could reply, there were two more gunshots and without a sound he pitched face first onto the floor next to Danny. And didn't move.

Danny's head whipped up and he saw another suspect with a gun. The man kept his gun trained on Danny but his eyes wandered over the scene and he scowled. Danny didn't give him a chance to take him out, too. Danny brought his left hand up and fired twice just as the man started to turn his attention on Danny again. At the same time, he heard the outer cafeteria door open and several heavy footsteps head his direction. He turned the gun towards the kitchen entrance and then lowered it and sighed in relief as he saw four HPD officers enter.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: So everyone is in agreement that I am a mean person, and at least two of you called me evil. :-) I am glad that so many of you like my original character, Robert "Al" Robertson a.k.a. Gup Gup. Let's see how he and Danny are doing...

* * *

Steve, Chin and Kono raced through the school halls as HPD officers pointed the way. They arrived at the cafeteria entrance out of breath and worried about what they'd find. They stopped short in the narrow serving hall and looked over the counter at the scene. An HPD officer was checking a body on the right. He stood up and shook his head. Three other officers were on the other side of the kitchen. One was checking over and talking to a familiar prone figure on the floor while two other officers were helping a moaning HPD officer into a sitting position.

"Commander McGarrett," the officer who had checked the dead suspect came over. "Sergeant Lukela sent us to check out gunshots. There are three dead suspects and Detective Williams and Officer Robertson have been injured. EMS will be sent in when the all clear is given."

Steve quickly moved into the kitchen and knelt next to Danny. He eyed his partner's injuries and had to work at keeping his voice calm, "Hey, Danno, how ya doing?"

"How's Robertson?" Danny struggled to look over at the fallen officer.

"It looks like he's going to be okay," Steve assured him.

"He shot him in the back," Danny shook his head. "I didn't see him until it was too late. I thought he was dead."

"I hurt too much to be dead," Robertson groaned. He was taking off his uniform shirt while one of the other officers fingered the two pieces of lead in the back of his Kevlar.

"Good thing you had your vest on," one of them told him.

"What happened?" Steve wondered. "You two were supposed to evacuate the office staff and then stay outside and wait for backup so you could fill them in."

"Sorry, Commander..." Robertson tried to explain.

"It's not his fault," Danny grimaced as he shifted position a little. "We got the staff out and I saw a Godfather's Exterminating van out front and figured we better come see what they were up to. We saw the trail of accelerant in the hallway where they'd sprayed and thought they might come in here to rig the ovens to blow as well."

"We were right," Robertson shrugged.

"We were right," Danny agreed, giving his team a pleased grin. "I take it you guys took care of the others."

"We did," Kono smiled.

"How are the Burnharts? They okay?"

"They're good, and Angel is in custody. The rest of his goons didn't make it." Steve looked around at the three bodies in the room. "Apparently, he's our only suspect to book."

"Get someone else to book 'em," Danny told him. "I'm not supposed to be working yet."

Steve glared at him, "You're right, you're not supposed to be working yet, and yet somehow you managed to take out three suspects and get yourself shot twice. Doctor Lee will not be pleased."

"In all fairness," Danny half-smiled. "I only took out one suspect. Robertson got one and the other one was too tall for his own good."

"EMS is here," Chin noted before Danny could fully explain to them.

The team made space for the paramedics and watched as they readied Danny and Robertson for transport. In just under three hours from when Danny was released, they were headed back to the hospital.

* * *

One more short chapter to go. Thanks for sticking with me.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Here's the final chapter - thank you all for sticking around and your many lovely reviews. I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have.

* * *

Doctor Lee was waiting in the Emergency Room for the ambulance that was to arrive at any moment. Karen, who was about to head off shift when the call came in about two officers being shot, decided to stay and see if she was needed to help. Coming from a law enforcement family, Karen treated each officer involved injury as if she was caring for one of her own family.

The beeping of the ambulance backing up was followed a moment later by the Emergency Room doors swinging open to reveal the paramedics pushing a gurney. Close behind was an HPD officer, minus the uniform shirt, walking stiffly but under his own power. A step behind him was Commander McGarrett, Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalakaua still in full tactical gear.

At first Doctor Lee wondered why Five-0 was accompanying the paramedics and their patients, but then he took another look at the figure on the gurney, "You have got to be kidding me!"

Danny pushed himself up a little on his good arm and gave the doctor his best smile, "What's up, Doc?"

"What have you guys gotten into now?" Karen wondered as she saw who it was.

"Detective Williams, you were released from this hospital. From my care," he glanced at his watch, "not even three hours ago. Now you are back sporting not one, but two, gunshot wounds. Did I not tell you to go home and take it easy? Did I not tell you to not overdo things?"

Danny managed to look a little sheepish, "Sorry, Doc."

Doctor Lee sighed, "Alright then, let's go get you patched up... again."

Two hours later, Danny was once again ready to be discharged from the hospital, right arm in a sling to support it and leg bandaged after the bullet had been removed. Robertson sat with him as they both waited on their discharge papers the nurse was bringing.

"How's your back," Danny asked Robertson.

"It'll be okay," Robertson shrugged. "They don't think it cracked any ribs, but it's badly bruised, I guess. Sorry again that I got you shot."

"It wasn't your fault," Danny assured him and smiled. "Besides, it was kind of worth it to see the look on Doctor Lee's face when we came in."

Robertson chuckled, "That was pretty good."

"Alright, gentlemen," Karen smiled as she came in. "Here are your discharge papers. Danny, please let the ink dry this time before you come back in."

"I'll do my best," Danny grinned.

"You guys ready to go?" Chin looked from Danny to Robertson and back again as he came in the room. "I'm your ride whenever you're ready."

"Where's Steve?" Danny wondered, surprised it wasn't his partner taking them home.

"Doctor Lee decided he didn't want to see you in here again this weekend so he told Steve he was not allowed to be the one to drive you home seeing as how he had already had his chance today and failed miserably."

Karen smiled and patted Danny on the shoulder, "Please, Danny, just go home and stay out of trouble. As much as we like you around here, we really don't want to see you again any time soon."

"C'mon, Gup Gup," Danny grinned at the younger man. "Let's get out of here."

Karen watched as Chin led the two injured men out of the Emergency Room and outside where the rest of Five-0 was waiting. She saw Steve gesture to the silver Camaro and Chin shake his head. Kono laughed at the antics. Karen looked at her watch and could have sworn she heard nurses making bets behind her about when the cute blonde detective would be back. She shook her head and headed home, sincerely hoping not to get a call about, or from, Five-0 any time soon.

* * *

Thank you again for reading and especially to all who have reviewed, favorited and followed. You make my day brighter!

Thank you to Wenwalke for proofreading for errors so I don't look like a complete idiot when posting!

Many, many thanks to Fifilla for helping me to see where this story needed to go beyond the Danny whumping! Oh, yeah, and for the name discussion regarding Officer Robertson!


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